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There is a light that never goes out  Chapter 1 +They have 10 minutes before the meeting starts. Alex is struggling to get the lighter to work when Zach passes by. “You’re a Wizard Alex,” He shakes his head in amusement. “Just light it with magic already.” “I don’t know. It feels more natural this way.” Alex explains. He means to say “more human” but then decides against it.  Still, Zach’s eyes dim by his words. He understands. Alex suddenly loses all the desire for a smoke. They are just about to go when noises of people shouting approach. Alex turns around out of reflex and is greeted by a group of Explorers at the other end of the corridor. He is surprised that the leader doesn’t stop his angry swears for a good full minute, until someone whispers so he spots Alex and Zach. “Mr. Turner and Mr. Dawes.” They all bow. The leader takes a step forward. “Sorry for disturbing you both. “ “What happened?” Alex asks, not that he’d usually do so. He’s been working way too much lately and the last thing he needs right now is another problem to worry about. However, his instincts are screaming “WRONG” at him right now. He knows they’re trying to hide something. “It’s nothing. I shouldn’t let it bother you, Sir.” The leader’s voice is soaked with disgust and venom, which is again very rare. “We just need to remove this Lower citizen ASAP.” “What?” Zach ask incredulously. “Come again?” Now Alex has a serious look at the group, he finally notices there’s a young man surrounded by 6 Explorers, almost completely blocked by the leader. He’s unhealthily skinny, probably a few centimeters taller than Alex himself. He’s looking down at the ground, slightly stooped so his face is hidden under his semi-long dark hair. He dresses like all other people for Lower cities: In rags. And most importantly, his hands are tied behind his back. With a quick glance, Alex realizes it’s a magic binding. Alex immediately comes closer. “What is this about?” He scolds, trying to get through the Explorers. “Why isn’t he with other survivors? ” “Mr. Turner, we’re ordered to send him back—” “Back to what? To die?” Alex snaps. He can’t believe what he’s just heard. Zach stays fairly calm. He grabs Alex’ shoulder to stop him from doing anything stupid. “Orders from who?” He stares at the leader. “I don’t receive any report regarding this.” “He’s not like everyone else.” The leader answers. Now he’s more nervous than vicious, “This man is extremely dangerous. We had to sedate him with several magic potions to even get him under control.” “You didn’t answer the question.” Zach ignores him while silently loosening the hold he has on Alex. “Tell me a name.” The whole team stays quiet. “Leave him to me.” Alex says abruptly. He tries to approach the bound man again and this time every Explorer moves aside. Zach is making some protesting sounds because there’re only 3 minutes left before they have to be at the meeting. But Alex decides to at least walk this man to the shelter. “Tell Homme I’ll be late for a couple of minutes!” He waves at Zach, unconcerned. He’s often caught late anyway. The moment he’s in the young man’s personal space, a shockingly strong wave of magical power lashes at him, almost catches Alex by surprise. He’s quick to come around though, opening a shield for everyone in the corridor. The shield basically blankets the suddenly frantic young man and the leader yells at him. “Fuck you! You try that again and I’m going to—” “Enough!” Alex interrupts him firmly. His palms are slightly wet from cold sweat, but he’s determined to not let anyone notice how fast he’s heart is beating. THAT WAS CLOSE. He glares at the leader. “You didn’t say he’s a Potentia!” “Alex! You alright?” Zach is to check on him for any injuries. Alex shakes him off, smiling a “I’m fine” but doesn’t drop the shield. His attacker is struggling violently inside the invisible restraint, his face now clearly visible to Alex. Half of his face is covered in fresh blood and bruise. One black eye. A cut on his cheekbone that’s still bleeding. He looks more scared than anything. Alex is suddenly filled with rage. “Zach, take them with you to Homme. I’m pretty sure this is not a simple misunderstanding.” He doesn’t even spare a glance at the Explorer team. “And let him know I’m skipping the meeting.” + A few minutes later, the corridor becomes quiet. Alex meets the young man’s gaze. He’s a bit taken back by the hatred he sees but doesn’t retreat. “Hi, my name’s Alex and I’m - eh, I work here. Now I’m going to remove the shield okay? Please don’t attack again. I don’t mean you any harm.” Alex speaks rather slowly, making sure his words are heard. The leader said they gave him SEVERAL magic potions. This poor guy’s head must be pretty messed up. The young man stares at Alex warily, but seems to have no difficulty understanding him. He gives up the squirming and relaxes slightly in the circle, his breath quick and short. There’s enough space between them and very few people are able to hurt Alex with such distance in between when he is alert. As promised, Alex drops the shield. The young man’s knees buckle as soon as the support is gone. He manages to fall as gracefully as a man can be with both hands bound. Alex lowers himself to the ground without a second thought. “Hey, let me walk you to the clinic in the shelter. The others should be there as —” “There’s no other.” The young man speaks for the first time, startling Alex with his pinched voice. He sounds strangely like Alex’s favorite musician. He’s looking down again. “They all died.” Alex stutters: “Wha -What? But you’re- you’re taken here this morning, right? They said the mission was quite successful! No injuries—” “No injuries for Upper citizens, I suppose. SIR.” He sneers, looking at Alex like he’s an ignorant dickhead. And what’s worse is that Alex does feel so stupid. He had no idea. “I’m so sorry.” Alex grimaces, hating how his words sound so hollow and useless. The young man is securitizing his face, undisguised hatred and grief in his eyes slowly replaced by surprise and confusion. The Lower citizen blinks a couple of times, long lashes weighed down by blood. “You really mean that.” He says almost in awe, making Alex so loaded with guilt and shame that he has to turn his head to the side. “Sorry about earlier. I didn’t mean to hurt you either. It’s just… I can’t control it very well yet.” “Don’t worry. You’re a Potentia. That actually happens quite often.” Alex reaches out to help him up. His hand touches the binding and easily breaks it. The sudden loss of restraint makes the young man lose his balance and fall forward. Alex steers him by his shoulder while silently cursing himself. “Sorry! I should’ve warned you first.” “Wow! How did you do that? It’s incredible!” The young man held his hands up, examining them unbelievably. “I tried for hours and the fucking thing didn’t even budge.” Alex blushes at the sudden and genuine compliment. It has been a long time since anybody would say that kind of things to him. After all, he’s the Chief Wizard and people wouldn’t even find it strange if he brings down a skyscraper with his bare hands (not that he’ll ever do something like that). “It’s just a spell. Let’s go to the shelter first alright? You’re bleeding. You need a doc, and I’ll talk to someone about you. You should stay and get trained here so you’ll learn how to break a binding —” He suddenly realizes he’s mumbling while still holding onto the Lower citizen. Alex steps back, pointing out the direction they’re going. They slowly begin to move to the clinic. The young man follows him and holds the wall every now and again. Alex wants to ask him what happened with the Explorers and then remembers that he doesn’t know his name. “I’m Miles.” The young man, Miles, shrugs his shoulder and immediately grimaces with pain. His breath still sounds labored and Alex starts to worry. “Are you okay?” He asks, touching his own throat. Miles shakes his head nonchalantly at Alex’s gesture, saying something about losing his inhaler on the way here. Alex couldn’t help but slows his steps even more. “Alexa should have something for you.” They walk in silence for a few more minutes before Miles chuckles. “Are you always like this?” “Like what?” Alex turns the question back. Miles is looking at him with a neutral, unreadable expression. He wipes the blood on his draw with his sleeve before breaking the eye contact. “Trusting. I mean, I tried to attack you just a few minutes ago and now you have your back exposed to me.” “Well, didn’t you apologize for it already?” Alex smiles back. He knows he’s probably going to come across as smugly anyway, so he decides to give a blunt answer. “And I don’t think you can hurt me, so technically I’m not trusting you here.” To his surprise, Miles snorts with laughter. “You’re right.” He agrees, somehow quite satisfied with Alex’s reply. “How far are we from that…that thing.” “The clinic’s just around the corner…Miles!” Alex catches him just before Miles cracks his head open on the floor. His hair falls down and the back of his neck is now exposed. Alex finds a nasty patch of bruise there. It’s without doubt from the stun guns Explorer team uses. “Magic potion my ass.” Alex curses, putting one of Miles’ lifeless arms around his shoulder. He reminds himself to talk to the leader of that team later himself. + Alexa is back within minutes.  Alex sits anxiously on the bench, fidgeting with his fingers. “He’ll be fine.” She answers before he even drops the question. “Relax, you’re acting like the other time when you brought back Mark.” “Miles is not a dog.” Alex argues. Alexa looks at him like he has grown an ugly second head on his shoulder. “Getting protective already? Should I expect to see you holding his precious little hand next week?” She jokes, taking a seat next to him and pokes Alex on the shoulder. “But you’re right. Magical or not, there’s no trace of any kind of sedative drugs. They just put him down with the guns like he’s part of THE THING.” “But he’s clearly human.” Alex bites down on his lower lip. “Miles told me there was no other survivor from the morning mission.” Alexa becomes quiet. That’s all Alex needs to know. “Nobody told me.” He’s shaking like a leaf caught in a gale. “I should never agree to back down from the rescue task. I knew—” Alexa holds his hand in hers, squeezing comfortingly. “It’s not your fault, Alex. You’ve been on shift for three weeks without any break. You can’t keep doing that forever.” “And they were saying there’s no injury. Fuck, no wonder Tom looked horrible this morning. You know what, I even congratulated him! He must think I was mocking him, and the mission was originally on me list!” “Alex,” She shushes him with a pat on his knee. “You need to calm down.” He does. He’s still trembling though, so Alexa brings him tea. Alex takes the cup gratefully. He could really use some hot drink. Then it occurs to him: “Miles said about an inhaler or something. He’s having trouble with breathing. It’s probably from the electric shot on the neck.” “Actually, it’s because he has asthma, which is quite common in Lower cities. You see, even without the explosions happening all the time, the atmosphere itself is poisonous enough.” Alex looks so guilty that Alexa has to stop on her way back to the consulting room, asking him to quit being so sullen. “There’s nothing you can do about it.” She’s telling the truth. “You can’t save everyone, Alex.” And to that, he falls short of a reply. + Zach comes in about half an hour later. The meeting ends early because of this “accident”. Apparently, according to the leading Explorer, Miles tried to attack them with wicked dark magic the moment they rescued him from THE THING. Tom had him under control with a magic rope and left him to the Explorers before he went back to mend the magical fender around the border of the Upper City. It was on the verge of breaking due to constant attacks from the outside during the previous night. Miles tried to break free again inside the BASE when the leader pushed him out of the ship. This time he nearly broke one of the men’s neck. None of the Explorers knows much about magic, let alone how to deal with it. That’s why they tried to subdue him with their weapons. “He didn’t mention they were trying to dump him back to the Lower cities when he’s in such state though. That I reminded him of.” Zach says in disgust. “Homme will take them to the court later. He said you could take care of the survivor, but leave them to him.”  “He acts like I’m going to eat them alive.” Alex rolls his eyes. “Well, aren’t you intimidating!” Jamie’s mocking voice arrives even before he’s in the room. “How are you holding up, Your Highness?” Alex cracks up. Having friends around always makes him feel a bit lighter. “Shut the fuck up Cookie.” “Me feelings are hurt.” Jamie signs dramatically. Matt knocks on his shoulder deliberately while walking in, earning himself a playful push on the back. Both of them were also not at the meeting. They just got back from a patrol. “We’ve heard the rumors on the way here.” The BASE is a small place in deed. Matt eyes the consulting room curiously. “A new Potentia right? From Lower cities? Tom said he’s pretty hard to handle.” “Luckily it was Alex who approached him.” Zach moves aside to spare some space for Matt and Jamie. “I wouldn’t be able to pull it off like that. Out of the blue he just — BOOM. Like that.” He gestures an explosion. Matt’s smile is immediately burdened with concern. Alex cuts him off. “I’m okay.” God, his voice cracks involuntarily. “And I’m not taking the break on Wednesday. I’ll come with Nick myself.” “Don’t you have a morning mission already on Thursday? To the west end?” Alexa comes through the door just in time to catch his last few words. She gives him a reproachful look. The four of them sitting in one bench nice and neat makes a hilarious scene. She laughs and motions them to all go away, again glancing at Alex who looks back in confusion. Alexa drops a small package in his hands. “You go inside. Your buddy is awake and is being ridiculous. He doesn’t want to spend the night here no matter how I reason, so I want him gone when I’m back. Here you are, take the pills. Come back for more next week. As for you guys, you are all too healthy for my waiting room. Come on, move!” Alex can only stare when she leaves the room. “Unfortunately, she is too good for you Al.” Jamie stands up, waving at Alex before he and Zach follow Alexa out of the clinic. Matt is still looking worried. Alex assures him he’ll be joining them for a drink tonight and fill him in. It has been a stressful day. Some alcohol will be good for his nerves. When he’s finally left alone in the waiting room, no sound is coming from the other side of the door. Alex doesn’t know what exactly Alexa means by “being ridiculous.” To be honest, she sounds mostly amused. Alex knocks on the door a couple of times before entering the consulting room. He’s so shocked to see Miles standing in the middle of the room, half naked, with a clean white T shirt in hand. His attention is soon caught by the same bruises that scatter on Miles’s back. Alex can hear his blood rushing to his head, driven by anger. “Those assholes.” Alex hisses while Miles slips into the baggy piece of clothes. He’s also wearing something that looks suspiciously like a pair of oversized grey pajama pants. Now Miles is all cleaned and patched up, he looks ten times healthier. When he walks towards Alex, his steps are steady. “Thank you…you know, for taking me here.” Miles says to him. His bare feet tapping on the white rug. Miles’ voice is less strained now and Alex likes hearing him talking. He’s still upset because of what he just saw. “You wouldn’t need to be here in the first place if they didn’t … fuck, I’m so going to write a report to Homme.” Miles finds his words funny. He somehow manages to look at Alex pitifully and fondly at the same time. “A report? Seriously? Where I come from, we seek revenge…differently.” He winks, hinting the threat. Alex freezes. “You can’t kill anyone —” “Don’t worry, Sir. I’m not that crazy.”Miles crosses his arms. He’s looking down to catch Alex’s eyes, letting him know his words are true. A shiver runs down Alex’s spin, hearing Miles saying SIR. It takes a lot of self-control for him to not blush like a baby. “Don’t call me that.” He scratches his nose uncomfortably. Weirdly, he hears people calling him SIR every day and even from the very beginning, none of them has made him this self-conscious. It must be the guilt that still eats away at him. His expression has certainly betrayed him, for Miles drops the defensive gesture. “Sure, Alex.” He says compliantly, walking to pick up his dirty clothes from the floor. He reads Alex’s mind like an open book. It’s scary. “I heard you talking outside. She’s right, you know. None of this’s your fault. In fact, it was already too late when they arrived. I was only alive because there was this one giant trunk blocking its way. She’s everywhere these days. No way we can survive anyway.” “She?” Alex inquires. “You mean THE THING.” “Yeah, ‘course, THE THING.” Miles shrugs. “That’s fair, since we don’t know her name.” “But you know it’s a she? How?” Alex keeps asking. He’s being a creepy nerd but couldn’t really help himself. Julian used to tell Alex a bit about THE THING before he disappeared in the thin air. No one else in the Upper City knows very much about the mysterious creature living in the Lower cities. They just all hates on it because it attacks everything that moves and kills people. Miles is surprised by his reaction, but he doesn’t lose his smile. However, his answer is cut short by a coughing fit. Alex immediately runs forward to catch him. Miles leans on him, his whole body shakes uncontrollably. “Shit, I’m so sorry. Leave it. Let’s find a place for you to crash tonight. You need some rest and medici—” “You worry too much Alex.” Miles interrupts him, drawing back slightly to stand on his own (Alex is all too aware that they are still in each other’s space). Miles has a tender glimmer of smile on his lips. His hostility from earlier completely melts away. “I’m okay, thanks to you. And as I said, you don’t need to feel sorry about any of this.” All the talks he’s given today, it's only Miles’ reassuring smile that finally puts his mind as ease. +TBC+

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Chapter 2+He’s drowning.For a moment, Alex doesn’t understand what is happening. There’re people screaming for help and he’s stuck in the water and no matter how hard he tries he just can’t get to them quickly enough—“...up, Alex, wake up!”He jerks awake, out of breath and full of dread. He’s slowly catching on the surroundings: sweat-soaked bed sheet under his trembling limbs, warm air blowing out from the purifier, dim light coming from his bed lamp, and someone’s fast breaths by his bed.He comes around, fully awake now. Alex quickly sits up and not surprisingly, finds Miles sitting on the floor, looking up at him with concern. However, there’s something else too. In the dullish room, those brown eyes, half-covered by his bangs, are lightened with amazement, as if he just witnessed some sort of miracle. At first Alex’s confused, but then he realizes that’s because he has lost the control of his magic when he was struggling to wake up. Fuck, how can he be so slow? That’s why Miles is on the floor.“Are you okay? Did I hurt you?” Alex hurries to get out of bed. But his jelly-like legs fail to support him properly. He barely avoids falling facedown. Miles lets out a surprised giggle when Alex finally manages to sit next to him, his voice a little scratchy with sleep.“You just stole me lines.” Still, he asks Alex, “You alright?”“Yeah, it’s nothing… just bad dreams…You shouldn’t go near me when I’m —”“Whining like a wounded puppy?” Miles suggests. Alex glares at him, embarrassed but feels less guilty now. Miles holds up his hands. Alex saw those unhealed old cuts on his slender fingers earlier, yet even with only the pathetic lamp in the room, Alex can’t miss the burning red marks on Miles’ fingertips. Those are definitely new.“Don’t worry, your magic is not really aggressive, it was just there like…protecting you.” Miles’ expression is almost dreamy. He’s impressed for sure. “I’ve never seen something so powerful. There are many people who knows how to do tricks down there, you know? But this is completely different. I can— for a moment I think I almost saw it on your skin. Like a glowing blanket or something. It’s beautiful.”Alex is blushing so badly when Miles finishes. He’s thankful that he doesn’t have the lights on. People here do not dare to say it out loud, but he knows how they view him. Even inside the BASE, many wizards are afraid of Alex because he is SCARY good. He was only in the training camp for a year when Julian, the then Chief Wizard, decided that Alex could go on missions with his team. He was recruited in the Soc. the day he turned 18 and most of his old teammates treated him like Alex was some dangerous weirdo.“What’s wrong? Is it something I said?” Miles asks all of the sudden. He reads Alex too easy. His face drops, looking unsure and lowers his head. “Sorry I barged into your room. I wasn’t thinking…”“No, no! Don’t apologize, it’s not you. I was just lost in me thoughts that’s it.” Alex rubs his eyes. He’s not in the least sleepy. “I’m sorry I woke you up. How’s your back?”“Eh…pretty stiff?” Miles says jokingly. He starts to get up and lends Alex his hand in the process. His fingers are surprisingly soft to the touch. “Night, Al.”The last syllable of his name is replaced by a yawn.Miles turns around and closes the door on his way out. Alex watches him leaving. He feels weirdly warm and content, which never happens after a horrible dream. Maybe it’s nice to have someone in his flat. Alex reckons. He should consider invite his friends to sleep over sometimes.+“When I said find him somewhere else to stay, I didn’t mean BRING HIM HOME. Jesus, Alex! Are you out of your mind?” Alexa’s voice coming from the receiver is harsher than usual. “You didn’t even take him to do a risk assessment. Plus, there’re plenty of empty rooms in the shelter.”“I know, I know. But yesterday Taylor was on shift okay? And she’s still mad at me. I don’t want to make a scene.” He whispers, hoping not to wake up his guest. The guest room door is slightly ajar, and he can see Miles lying peacefully on the bed. “I couldn’t wait for James to show up. I promised Matt that I’d meet them at the bar… and Miles was not feeling very well, so I just — it’s just for a day, alright? I’ll contact both the shelter and the camp today and I’ve got the risk assessment form ready.”“Alex.” She signs. “I know you always feel obligated to take care of the survivors, but it went too far. He is a Potentia and he tried to attack several people, including you. Take him back when you come to the BASE this afternoon, will you? I’ll let James know he has a new one to place.”Alex is pouring hot water into two tea cups. He likes to do all the chores without magic. He shifts his head so the receiver wouldn’t fall off. “It’s not just that. I read the full report yesterday, Alexa. It was horrible! The whole town was completely destroyed and Miles’ the only survivor. Also, the Explorers were a bunch of basters. They hurt him pretty bad right after. It didn’t feel right if I just left him in the shelter.”He receives a long silent pause.“You said the same thing when you insisted to keep Mark.”Alex groans. Alexa needs to stop comparing Miles to his dog. Speaking of Mark, he needs to pick him up today from Alison’s. She has been taking care of him for about a month.“Alex?” Miles chooses to walk out of the room at the exact same time when Alexa tries to talk his ears off about safety issues. He murmurs a quick “I gotta go” and cuts off the call, despite knowing it will cause him lots of headache this afternoon.Miles leans on the doorframe and watches him getting busy with the tea and toasts. He is staring at the simple breakfast, face clouded. Alex shrugs apologically, explaining that he doesn’t really stay at home very often so there’re not many edible things in the fridge.Miles gives him that look again: a mixture of pity and fondness. “You have no idea.” He says bitterly. “My people would fight with their life for some real bread.”His words shut Alex up immediately. That explains why Miles is so skinny. In fact, every survivor they bring back from the Lower cities looks like a walking skeleton. Alex tries his best to treat them well, but he’s never had someone as his guest before. He is going to apologize, but Miles anticipates him. “Hey, forget it. I don’t mean to upset you.” He walks towards the table. “Thanks for making me breakfast.”“Well, I can’t be a more terrible host than I’ve already been.” Alex is only half joking. “Just so you know, later today you’ll have to complete a form for safety department, and we need to find you a better place to stay.”Miles drinks his tea. “I doubt that.” His face is hidden behind the steam. “Hard to imagine a place better than here, it is.”Alex can’t help but feels a bit sad. He’s guest room is nowhere near decent: It was his old study room, cluttered with books and miscellaneous stuff. The bed is only there in case any of his friends needs a place to crash. In fact, it hasn’t been touched for nearly a year because they are all too caught up in work.They eat breakfast in silence. The awkwardness gradually melts away when Miles starts to hum a tune under his breath.Alex recognizes it immediately.“You know the Beatles?” He is pleasantly surprised.Miles looks as shocked as he feels. “Yeah, they’re me favorite band! I mean, I know they are better known as the greatest Wizards in history but —”“Oh, come on! who gives a fuck about magic when there’s music.” Alex waves his hands in excitement, then realizes he must sound ridiculous. He IS the Chief Wizard himself. But Miles laughs out at his words joyfully. He cheers up when Alex starts to talk more about the band, and Alex is happy to use some magic to fill up their tea cups this time, doesn’t want to get up and leave the table.+“Where’s your new boyfriend?” Jamie looks around before sitting down. Alex kicks him under the table, annoyed.“James will help Miles to settle down. I also called the camp earlier. He’s not really at the proper age for training anymore, but I think some lessons will be beneficial, so he can learn how to control the magic.” Alex scan his tablet quickly. “So as soon as he’s fully recovered and the risk assessment passes through the system, he’ll be able to go in the camp.”Alexa is still not happy. “Good for him.” She drops Miles’ medical report down on the table. Alex has required for it, intending to send it to the court so that the Explorer team will be thoroughly investigated. Though he knows this kind of things do happen from time to time: Not everyone in the Upper City cares about Lower citizens. Resources are short, and they simply cannot afford taking everyone. If Alex’s drunk enough, he’ll question the true reason he’s been taken out of most rescue missions.“As for you Alex, you fill in the form I just sent because you broke at least 5 laws yesterday by taking him home.”“You what?” Jamie chokes on a mouthful of water. “That’s why you left early yesterday! Damn! I knew it. Nick owns me 50 quid.”“Seriously? You guys are betting on this?” Alex asks incredulously.Jamie smiles mischievously. “Not exactly. But I have a feeling that I’ll win.”Later that day, when he is on the way to Alison’s house, Matt explains: “Mate, we just worry about you. Your name isn’t really unknown in the Lower cities, especially among the magic users. Zach said Miles was powerful enough to be a soldier if he was born here, so how could he not know you at all? He doesn’t seem to recognize your name or anything. Isn’t it a bit …suspicious?”Alex sits on the front seat quietly. Matt has a point. Yesterday when he took Miles back to his flat, he didn’t really think that much. It’s just for one night and he has a guest room. He doesn’t keep anything work related at home so it’s not like he’s going to accidentally leak information to a SPY. The word has him cringe a bit. He hates to think that Miles may work for THE THING, but then he remembers Miles calls it “she”. There is a good chance that it’s some common knowledge (or simply a nick name) around the area where Miles lived. But still. He was being reckless and had his friends worry.Alex sinks into the seat further, frustrated with himself.Matt drops him off in front of Alison’s garden. Alex wants to walk Mark home, so he quickly waves Matt a goodbye. His team is departing on Thursday to the west end. It’s going to be a long duration mission and Alex wants to spend at least two days with his dog before he leaves.Alison is dressed in her pajamas, as always. She doesn’t seem to mind taking care of Mark for another possible three months after hearing about Alex’s new mission. She doesn’t take Mark out for walks herself anyway. Jack would do that every evening for her (for Alex, technically). The moment Alex walks in the front door, he is welcomed by Mark jumping on him, nearly knocking him down. He hugs him tightly, burying his face in Mark’s long white fur. Alison scoffs at them softly. “He’s pretty restless this week. Must sense that you are back.”“Thanks for having him.” Alex says sheepishly. It’s almost embarrassing to admit how much he misses his dog. But then, it’s Mark and it’s a bloody DOG and dogs are among the most precious things that Earth has gifted them. He feels so normal and human when Mark barks happily at him, eating whatever Alex has in his hand. He has spent too much time down there, fighting with unshaped dark shadows and villains who work for THE THING. It feeds on flesh and they find every possible way to fetch meat for it: the explosions in the Lower cities, the constant attacks on the fender so they could break in, and the targeted murders of Wizards. The last always fills Alex’s stomach with dreadful pain sine most of his friends are Wizards: Nick, Jamie and Matt are in his team. Jack and Zach lead their own. He couldn’t even stand the idea of any of them getting hurt in a mission.“You’re too soft for the job, Turner.” Alison takes a long drag at her cigarrete, sending Alex and Mark to the door. She says it like she knows something he doesn’t. “Casablancas had a bad influence on you.”Alex swallows his protests down. There’s no point arguing over something like this.+When he arrives at home, it’s already dark outside. Alex lets Mark running into his bedroom, himself collapse in the settee. The dishes are still in the sink. Alex can’t find the strength to get up and clean the kitchen now. Instead, he grabs a cushion and slides it under his chin, signing contently. It’s Tuesday. He doesn’t have anything to do tomorrow morning, and the preparation for the mission trip is all done. He should enjoy his night, put on some music and read a bit.Music, right. His brain goes: Miles.Alex blinks a couple times, realizing he’s thinking about the Lower citizen because there is indeed a piece of paper on his tea table with Miles’ name written on it.He sits up so quickly that he feels dizzy for a second. When did Miles leave him the note? Where did he even find the pen? Alex opens the folded paper and reads the first line.                  Found a pen under my bed.He smiles at that and keeps reading.                  Thanks for the tea. You better move the book pile on your nightstand. I really
                  thought they were going to fall on that pretty face x You saved my life Alex.
                  I shall return the favor but haven’t got any ideas yet. Dream about that instead
                  okay? Talk to me if you have something good in mind xHe reads the chaotic notes twice. Miles’ handwriting is lovely, but he dances around a simple “THANKS” in an unnecessary way that makes the whole thank-you-note thing feels so stupidly awkward and more intimate than Alex would like to admit. Miles worries about last night but clearly doesn’t want to make Alex too self-conscious about his nightmares. Alex snorts, turning a bit red reading those words. The moron, why in hell does he have to choose the word pretty?He puts the note in his pocket, deciding to call the shelter and make sure Miles is all settled. Putting safety issues aside, he couldn’t deny that Miles intrigues him. It may be the fact that he’s the first friend Alex has made that’s not from the Upper City, or that he also loves old music and ancient superhero stories from Earth, or that he seems to know more about THE THING than anyone else does. Whatever reason it may be, he’s very glad that he stopped the Explorer team yesterday.Strangely, Alex also wants to know more about this Lower citizen himself. He wants to make sure Miles is okay from the horrible massacre and he wants Miles to have his number at least in case Miles needs to talk to someone. He wants to know what life is like down there and what he could do to bring back more suffering people. He wants to take Miles to all his favorite food shops and learn what Miles likes—Mark’s barks startle him out of his own head. Alex realizes his receiver is buzzing.It’s from Homme.“..peat, repeat! I want every Wizard in BLOCK 505 at the BASE immediately! The detonation point is inside the shelter….”Alex drops the receiver.The next thing he know, he’s desperately rushing to the BASE.+TBC+

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Chapter 3+The very first memory Alex has of death is associated with explosion. He was nervous around fire and noises for quite a long time after that encounter. But he knew better than to panic in front of people. After all, he was supposed to be the hero who’d save the day.For a brief moment, Alex feels very much like his old self, secretly scared that he’ll screw things up. He has to brutally shove the uncertainty back down his throat in order to stay focus. He is among the first to arrive. Homme only looks composed because others do not know him very well. Alex can immediately tell the situation is bad. All doors to the shelter are tightly shut. Inside, the flames are devouring everything.“I’ll go in.” That’s all he manages to say before grabbing a cloak. Homme shouts at him about no info on explosive devices yet, it’s too dangerous and the staff members in the clinic and shelter have managed to get out already. “So only the survivors are trapped in the shelter. People from Lower cities who are hurt and defenseless and you ask us to stand by until technicians figure out what’s wrong?” Putting on his cloak, Alex shouts back. He can barely contain his frustration. Homme’s gaze is cold and unyielding. “Don’t, Alexander. It’s an order.”“Fuck it —”“Alex!” Matt shuts him up with a glare, putting on a cloak himself. Others begin to get ready for coming in as well. They gather together in front of the west entrance to the shelter. About 10 Wizards and three teams of Explorers. Alex is still whizzing with anger, but he knows Homme is right. They don’t know what caused the explosions in the first place or where are the detonation points. What’s more worrying is that normal fire should be easy to put out with the security system they have in the BASE. It’s clearly a planned attack, with the help of magic.There seems to be no more explosions coming. Silence is the worst. It’s driving Alex crazy. Homme’s receiver rings.“…we can’t be sure, Commander. The explosive devices are found in several rooms. All are spell controlled. The fire has circled the outer perimeter… we lost half of the monitors. 23 people are in the playroom at the back of the shelter, but there is no guarantee for a safe route to get to them. It’s better if our Wizards just cover all entrances and build a fender, otherwise other areas in the BASE will be influenced as well.”“Are they alive?” Alex asks, his voice is the only response to the message. It’s surprisingly steady when he has made up his mind. Homme is looking at him sympathetically: He has no idea what Alex has in mind. Alex walks closer to him, waiting for the answer. When he gets a yes, Alex lets out a breath he’s holding. “Open the west door then.”Everyone around him becomes deadly silent. On the other side of the receiver, the guy couldn’t believe what he just heard. Alex takes the receiver out of Homme’s hand. “This is Alex Tuner, the Chief Wizard and our Commander is busy right now so listen to me, I want you to open the west door immediately and hold the line. I’ll give you more instructions later.”By now every other Wizard realizes what just happened. Homme is still in the same position, his hand rigid in the air, holding a nonexistent receiver. Alex mutes the receiver just before Matt curses loudly: “Damn it, Al! Did you just fucking petrify Homme?”Alex ignores him. “Split into 4 groups. I want at least 3 Wizards at the north door ‘cause we’re probably coming out that way. Put up the fender as soon as you can. Protect the commander, but don’t bother trying to break my spell.” He’s at the door in seconds. When it finally opens, heat and fire rush out within a blink. It’s definitely entangled with magic, because the flames are targeted directly at people. Alex forces the fire in, himself following without any hesitance. The door closes right behind him.+“If we can get out, I’m so going to kick your stupid ass and put you behind bars myself!” Matt waves his hand to extinguish a biting flame. Alex shouts back: “You’re not supposed to follow me inside!”“Nick and Jamie will have my head if I don’t you stupid mother fucker. You did that to Homme, you’re dead anyway— OH FUCK!” A door behind them cracks with a new series of explosions. Alex keeps Matt close. He has a shield covering them both, despite they’re both wearing the cloak. Having his friend with him is a total surprise. What Alex wants the least is Matt getting hurt doing this. He’ll never forgive himself if anything happens.They run towards the playroom. It’s getting harder to breath or see with every passing second. Alex can only tell they are not too late because there’re crys coming from the front. They reach the playroom without losing any limbs, and then Alex see them.The playroom has no window. People are circled at the other door, trying to break out. But the door is jammed and there are flames on the ceiling diving down constantly, threating to end their fruitless attempt. Matt blocks the entrance they just came through, trying to stop more fire from getting in. Alex runs forward.“Help us!” A little girl catches the sight of Alex first. She’s no older than 10 and has tears all over her red face. “Miles, look! Someone’s coming!”Alex’s heart escapes a beat hearing that name. He’s confused for a second, then it hits him. Those people stay together and unharmed because something is protecting them. And when he gets close enough, it’s very obvious that they are guarded by a wall of raw yet powerful magic. He knows who it belongs to. “Keep the door clear!” Alex guides them. He lets his own magic touch what Miles has built and when they collide in the air, sparkling warmth runs through Alex’s whole body like electricity. It’s an unfamiliar sensation that calms him with no effort. At that moment, he’s so certain that they’re going to save those people without fail. Once they move away from the door, Alex spots Miles. He’s surrounded by a few older lads, looking as transparent as a ghost. He’s shaking so hard and his eyes are half-closed. He doesn’t even recognize Alex’s presence. Alex feels he could as well be dying himself. Actually, that would be better than seeing Miles like this. He touches the jammed door. Dark, twisted magic tumbles under him palms. Somebody jammed this door intentionally, and whoever did this must be a damn good Wizard.Not as good as Alex though. After a few attempts, Alex manages to blast off the door. It falls towards the passageway and immediately he is attacked by fire waiting in the corridor. Luckily, Matt has his back. The flames disappear before touching Alex, only burning a few strands of his long hair. “I’ll take the lead!” Matt tells him. Alex moves over right away, holding back the fire inside the playroom while directing people to follow Matt. He takes out the receiver, asking them to open the north door. It’s only one corridor away.He grabs Miles when the other lads rush to get out. “Drop the shield, Miles! I’ve got it.” He shakes his shoulders gently. “We need to move.”Only then does Miles notice him. “Alex?” He’s barely standing straight. “The explosion—”“I know. I know. We’ll handle that later.” He passes his hand under Miles’ arm, dragging him to the exit. Miles quickly understands what’s going on here, but he’s too weak to run. They are the only ones in the shelter now. Even Alex finds it too much, staying in the fire for this long. He has to hold Miles up and also protect them both. It’s just one corridor. He clenches his teeth, ignoring the fatigue coming down on him. Just when they are a few meters away from the north door, Matt and Jack are about to come inside again to help, the room closest to the entrance explodes right beside them.The quake has them falling down to the ground. For a moment, Alex is forced to put down the magic shell around them and all the flames detect his momentary weakness. Alex shields Miles with his body, though he is unaware of doing so. He concentrates everything he could gather to envelop Miles and prepares himself for the burning pain to arrive. He’s wearing the cloak, it’s not going to kill him anyway.But it doesn’t happen. Miles pushes at him with such force that Alex loses his balance and falls facedown on Miles’ chest. Immediately Miles throws his arms around Alex, barely giving Alex any space to breath. A wave of pristine magic passes through Alex body. Same as the other time, he’s almost paralyzed by the unfamiliar sensation. Every patch of his skin feels like being in warm water. Suddenly, he finds extra strength he doesn’t know that he still has and right before the flames swallow them, Alex closes the shield around them both with one desperate, instinctive try.The fire goes out once touching the magical shell. Both of them unharmed.The next thing he knows, Matt and Jack are on his side. Miles is still hugging him, his heart beating fast under Alex’s. “Al…” Miles breaths a sign of relief, loosening his embrace. He touches Alex’s hair tentatively. “…thank God.”And with that, he’s out cold.+Alex spends his Wednesday in close confinement. In a patient ward.As expected, Homme is furious. They manage to put out the fire completely near midnight and it’s a miracle that nobody even gets a scratch on their faces. Therefore, Alex is probably spared from being locked in a box forever. But still, he ends up breaking 13 laws in two days (Alex is pretty sure he’s created history). Homme makes him carry on with the mission to the west end. As soon as they get back, Alex’s going to face whatever the court thinks he deserves. “Do you think Homme will let you get away with it this time?” Taylor tries her best to sound indifferent but fails. She’s still not happy with Alex. However, it’s neither a good time nor place to argue, since this time Alex is, for real, a patient. Not to mention that she still likes him.“Don’t know. I hope so… or he can find himself another Chief Wizard and let me off the hook.” Alex says, rubbing his forehead tiredly. He knows that’s not going to happen, so he’s not really worried about any serious punishments. Right now, Alex’s simply exhausted after the break-in and firefighting. Other than that, he is perfectly fine. There’s no point for him to stay until dark. He misses Mark, and he’s worried about Miles. “Why couldn’t I see him? I wouldn’t try to escape, promise.”Taylor gives him a strange look. “Over 20 people are transferred into this hospital and you ask to see only one. Twice.”“Yeah, probably because the rest of them don’t actually save my ass?” Alex offers. It’s a solid point. Taylor gives him another cold glare before she tells him that Homme insists Alex is kept in the ward as long as possible. So that he’s not going to cause any more trouble before he leaves. Alex signs. Homme is for sure getting back at him for putting that petrifaction spell on him.“Matt is grounded as well, just so you know. He’s in next door and is climbing the walls.” Taylor mocks before leaving him alone. “Why don’t you try to take a nap, Scooter?”Alex doesn’t. He doesn’t need to because only 5 minutes after she’s gone, there is a quiet knock on his open door. He looks up and is surprised to find the same girl that was in the shelter earlier. She’s in a hospital gown that’s clearly too large for her. This time, she’s not crying, but her face is still a lovely shade of red. She’s shy. “Come on in.” Alex coos, swinging his legs off the bed and sits up. She looks back hesitantly, and then another taller figure shows at the door. Miles smirks at his surprised face.“Lydia here wants to say thank you.” Miles explains, patting her on the back. “It’s alright love, Alex won’t bite.”Alex can hear his own eyes rolling. But he can’t help but smile at the same time, the cloud of worry stuck in his chest all gone. He comes to them at the door and stoops down in front of Lydia, spreading his palm. He makes her a glistening golden flower out of thin air.She lets out an excited yell, giggling at the lights. Alex put it in her waiting hands and let it stay there for a few seconds. The whole time Alex feels Miles’ gaze on him, making the back of his neck a bit itchy.Lydia is so charmed by the little trick that she kisses him on the cheek, whispering a muffled thanks to his ear before running out of the room. Alex stands up, ruffling his hair. Miles is laughing openly. “Look like you just earn yourself an admirer, Turner.”“Shut up Kane.” Alex chuckles, then examines him carefully. Miles is looking like a real being again. Gone is the ghost white color and also the bruise around his eye. His bangs are a bit messy but other than that, he looks great. Actually, Alex’s obtuse brain suddenly decides Miles is quite good-looking. “What?” Miles rubs his chin, looking very much like a caged animal under Alex’s blunt gaze.Alex blushes himself. “How come you don’t look like shit after yesterday? I’m still tired as fuck.” “Well, guess who’s the princess then.” Miles walks into his room and finds himself a spot on the side of the bed. He’s also wearing a hospital gown that’s too big. Alex sits next to him, their shoulders almost touching. Miles replies seriously. “I don’t know. I’m always like this actually, recover super fast from literally anything. Something to do with me magic, I think.”That, Alex needs to talk with him as well.“You did a great job back there, saving all those people.” Alex praises him genuinely. “And me as well. Thank you.”Miles shakes his head. “You were going to use yourself as a shield, man. I don’t think you should be thanking me for nearly getting you killed. By the way, why’d you do that?” Alex is not prepared for seeing Miles confused and sad. Miles is staring at him intensely, almost studying him in a way. “I’ve heard that you disobeyed direct order, attacked the commander to break in, and you risked your life saving someone like me—”“What are you talking about? You are human, Lydia is, everyone in the shelter is. So am I. What’s the difference?” Alex doesn’t let him finish. He’s fed up with those kind of nonsenses people living in the Upper City say, and he’s so not going to hear any more from Miles. “And Matt came in with me. There are other people I know that would do the same thing. And you helped, too. Miles. The shield you built was actually pretty decent, although it was a quite wasteful way to use you magic. That’s why it drained you so much. You really should go to the camp…”He somehow ends up rumbling, because Miles is again giving him that dreamy smile. “You really are something special, aren’t you?” Miles says. He still sounds sad, and this time Alex can’t figure out the reason. “You could have just left me behind.”“Oh, really? Didn’t know you think so less of me!” Alex retorts harshly.Miles lowers his head. “Sorry. I just…I don’t want you to get hurt. Especially because of me.”His words touch Alex in a way that’s almost painful. He desperately wants Miles to feel happy again and not to blame himself for something they both had no control over. “Miles, I’m a Wizard. A soldier. I’m just doing me work. You can’t feel bad because I have a shitty job.” He reasons, “Besides, we wouldn’t have gotten everyone out if you weren’t there. You have great talents, Miles. When we were in there your magic met up with mine, it was so—”Alex still can’t find a word to describe that.“You felt that too?” Miles looks up at him again. For a while he forgets to beat himself up. “It was so weird I thought it’s just in my head! Is it normal? Does it always happen when you have—”“No.” Alex admits. “I’ve never experienced anything similar. I don’t know, maybe we can ask Mr. Weller about it. He’s the scholar who runs the camp. He’d know.”Miles nods an agreement. “After you get back?”“Yeah, when I’m back and hopefully Homme is not sending me to jail.” Alex jokes, glad that the thick air in the room is now dispersed. Miles smiles back. He winks. “Don’t worry Alex, I won’t let him.” It almost sounds like a promise.+Matt opens the screen to show everyone the footage. It was Greg. He’s in the Explorer team that tried to dump Miles out, but he wasn’t on the mission that day. He left small boxes under the bed in several rooms while doing regular check of the extinguishing system for the shelter. The boxes were cursed bombs. They went off just a few hours later.“What’s their problem with him?” Jamie shakes his head in disbelief. “Did Kane try to rip their nuts off or something?”“That’s so absurd. The Explorers go out there with us, they should have a lot of experiences of someone trying to rip their nuts off. Why were they trying to kill him?” Nick argues. Alex’s forehead is all puckered. He replays the footage and murmurs: “Can we stop talking about testicles for a sec?”Matt looks at them like they are a bunch of potatoes. “Nobody is saying that Miles is the target.” “Well, Al thinks he is.” Jamie points at him. “I’m just saying. Look like it may be the case.”Matt opens a report on the side screen. It’s from the court. The leader of the Explorer team, Joe, didn’t confess anything. In fact, Joe insisted that he didn’t remember using taser on a survivor at all. “‘One moment I was helping him to get out of the ship, then I woke up in an interrogation room.’ See, they all say pretty much the same thing.” Matt reads from the report. “Either they somehow found the time to make plots, or they were simply telling the truth.”Nick raises his eyebrows at Matt’s suggestion. “You mean they were under control of a spell.” Jamie blinks. “Well, that’s bad, ‘cause there’s only one man in that ship who’s magical.”“No fucking way.” Alex says with iron certainty. “I know it’s not him.”“Are you even listening to yourself? Don’t tell me it doesn’t seem too coincidental!”Alex pouts. He knows something’s wrong, he’s not stupid. But he also has a gut feeling that Miles is innocent. “Oh, someone’s in deep.” Jamie sings. He’s extra annoying today. “I think we should at least wait for Greg’s confession before jumping to conclusions.” He finally says. Alex doesn’t tell his friends the weird “connection” he had with Miles when their magic powers were entangled. He’s given them enough reasons to doubt his judgement already. “I’ll call the security department when we land, okay? I’ll make sure they send someone to do Miles’ risk assessment again, face to face.”Matt doesn’t seem convinced, but he makes a compromise by saying nothing. The rest of the trip to the west end is mostly in silence. Matt goes to the other cabin to talk to the Explorers. Nick and Jamie are napping in their seats. Alex is restless. Their previous discussion leaves him so strangely disturbed. He’s been doing the same job for 5 years and there have been countless rescue missions. Every now and then, he still visits the town area where most survivors live, yet never once did he get too attached to somebody. Alex knows clearly it’s not professional to do so and he always finds the balancing point. The only exception so far has been Mark…but Miles is not Mark. He’ll need a better excuse. Fuck. Alex groans silently. He should also stop comparing Miles to his dog.He decides to go through their mission brief one more time when his receiver beeps. It’s a massage from Miles fucking Kane. Alex stares at the screen. It says: How’s the trip?He shouldn’t reply. Alex gives his barcode to Miles only to let him contact Alex if there’s any emergency. And that message he just got is definitely no emergency. He should just finish reading, prepare for the evening meeting and get himself together. He really should.Instead, Alex pulls the fingerboard out and writes Miles back.+TBC+

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Chapter 4+
Alex hates the west end.Okay, maybe that is a bit exaggerated. But he definitely dislikes this BLOCK a lot. The west end is the center of the lunar base, where the drilling platform is located. Before people realized the existence of THE THING, they were planning on making the Moon habitable. Back then, the first immigrants from Earth lived on the lunar surface and the Upper City was only there for the mining project. It was built as a floating station around the drilling platform to exchange resources with Earth, and the Lower cities were thought to be a perfect solution to overpopulation. It was only after a decade that their mysterious neighbor decided that human flesh was good for its health. It started with occasional disappearances of people, yet very soon the police started to get missing reports every week. Those who had connections fled to the station, hoping for rescue ships from Earth. The rest of them had no choice but to wait down there, drowning in despair. However, all they got was an order to stay: the mining project could not be abandoned. The ship came with Wizards and Explorers and left with only politicians and rich bastards on board. People expanded the station as much as they can, sending ships to the Lower cities to take back magic users, scientists, engineers and medical workers. In just a few years the station became the Upper City. Then, there was THE MESSAGE coming from the west end with no warning— The authority decided to shut down the Upper City, leaving the people they considered “USELESS” behind.Alex has been to the west end a couple of times before. Julian was born here, and his father was one of the Chief Commanders of the lunar base. He left when he was around Alex’s current age and worked in BLOCK 505 instead. “I don’t know how many shiny skyscrapers and well-dressed men I could stand before I become mental.” Julian told him. He was referring to the heart of the Upper City: neon lights blazing all the time and casinos opening for only special people. It’s kept this way while some other BLOCKs in the Upper City suffer from lack of electricity, and people in the Lower cities struggles to survive.He doubts anyone with a heart would fall in love with this place.The mission does become somewhat bearable when they are informed that they’ll be staying in a separate studio beside Base 0 rather than in one of the guest halls. The meeting in the evening is tedious. They are tired from an 8-hour trip on a slow ship (Inside the Upper City the transport is kept quite primitive to save energy), and the Head technician decides to stand them up for no reason. When they are finally released from the meeting room, none of them have the energy to work on Tuesday’s case anymore.Alex goes straight into his room. He sends to Miles: I fucking hate doing meeting with dickheads.-Not so much fun?-You bet. I’m going through the timetable now and I swear all their people are vampires.-Watch out Alex x Don’t get drained xHe’s smiling at Miles’ message when another notification jumps out. It’s from the security department. Alex quickly replies “I gotta go” before he clicks on the new message. It’s the approval for Miles’ in-person risk assessment. His draw drops when he sees the signature at the bottom: Homme is doing the risk assessment.“He must want to see himself if Miles was behind the attack. Look, if Homme decides Miles’ clean, he’ll be able to get an ID and leave the BASE immediately.” Nick comforts him. Still, it gets Alex’s nerve because Homme is clearly giving this case his full attention. Unknown explosion inside the BASE, it’s the worst security breach they’ve had in decades. Homme is not going to be very easy on anyone that’s possibly involved. Alex debates on telling Miles about this. But in the end, his mind of reason stops him. It won’t do Miles any good if he’s caught. Besides, Alex has already done enough bad by giving Miles an unregistered receiver. He needs to be at least sensible.+It’s only the third day, and even Jamie stops being a smartass. Everyone is worn out. They are supposed to help drill a new borehole. Most work hours are spent on the platform, strengthening the drill bits with spells. The technicians are demanding as fuck when it comes to magical tools. To preserve magic inside a piece of metal is hard enough, yet they are asked to keep the magic working 24/7 as well. Usually, spells will be weakened or can only last for a few hours when the Wizards are not around. Therefore, together with four other groups of Wizards, they are demanded to be present all the time, until the new borehole reaches a relatively constant productivity. Alex’ team is the best on the Moon, but no Wizard has the mojo to keep several drilling pits invulnerable for 3 months. It’s just straight up impossible.“I’m going to ask for a day off for us.” Alex says, sending the daily report to Billie. He’s their direct supervisor and is one of the rare kinds in the west end: He’s actually a decent guy. “Make it 10 mate! Those fuckers…can’t they just find another 5 teams, so we could at least have a damn break.” Jamie grumbles. Alex casts a glance at him, and quickly pulls out the fingerboard again. “Actually, I think that may be the better way! I’ll ask Billie for a change of plan then. They have 20 Wizards on this mission and there has to be a way for us to go on shifts instead dying all at the same time.”Matt comes in. He sits heavily at the table. Nick follows with pizzas in hand. “Have you all seen the announcement?” Nick asks. “They arrested Axl Rose for treason. Apparently, he’s the guy that put spells in the ship, turning all Explorers into animals. He cursed Greg and had him putting bombs in the shelter. That was to kill every Lower citizen. Not anyone in particular.”Alex puts his pizza down. “But Rose was a legendary Wizard!” He is stunned by the news. “Why?”“Discriminations, I guess.” Matt is quick to add that they only found out it was him because Greg was seen being with Rose a few weeks back. Then they restored the older footage and found him visiting the shelter last month, leaving through the north door that was jammed by the nasty curse. “He has more bombs at home. Those were meant for residence areas where Lower citizens tend to live. Luckily, they got him before he could do anything.”Alex is quiet for a long time. He’s only met Rose for a few times. Rose used to teach at the camp. He was a bit strict but was nice to the Potentias. He seemed nothing like a killer.When Alex finishes reading the announcement, his appetite is long gone.+A call from the clinic at 3 am brings his restless sleep to a halt. “ello?” Glancing at the number, Alex moans reluctantly, thinking it may be Alexa. She sometimes has night shifts. Only the sound of breathing answers him. Alex is instantly fully awake. “This is Alex Turner speaking.” He sits up, opening the lamp. “What’s wrong?”Another long pause. Alex is getting extremely worried when he finally gets a quiet “nothing”. Once he realizes that’s Miles’ voice, his anxiety is literally jumping above his head. They haven’t contacted each other since the first night he got here, and earlier when Alex texted Miles about the solved case, asking him how’s everyone doing in the temporary home, he got no reply. “Miles, what happened?”“Nothing, really.” Miles says in a low voice. He sounds as tired as Alex feels. “Sorry, I know you’re busy as hell—”“It’s me day off tomorrow.” Alex cuts him off. “Now talk to me.”Miles sort of does, a few words trailing off. “Just…can’t sleep.” He’s using the calling system beside the clinic door. Alex frowns. “Why aren’t you calling me with your device? Wait, why are you in the clinic? Are you hurt?”“No!” Miles answers way too quickly. Alex’s heart sinks. He immediately knows Miles is lying. “We all moved back ‘cause the shelter is repaired. I didn’t have the receiver with me. I…eh, hid it in the hospital before they took me to the risk assessment earlier. Pretty sure you break another 3 laws giving it to me. So.”He’s not going to let Miles distract him with witty remarks. Alex asks again, gently but firmly: “Miles. Why are you in the clinic?”“Alexa insisted I stay for a day.” He says nonchalantly, then cracks another joke. “She can be very scary if she wants to.”Alex chews on his lower lip. He’s very unhappy with this answer. Miles soon detects his stubbornness. Finally, he gives in: “Just a few scratches…I’ll be fine in the morning. Nothing to worry.”“You’re calling me at 3 in the morning for fuck sake! Who was it? I’m so going to kick those stupid —”“Not writing a report this time?” Miles is tickled by his rare aggressiveness. Out of some bizarre reason, he almost sounds a bit smugly for a moment. “It’s nothing like that Al. I was in The Trail Room this—yesterday morning. Got myself a ‘harmless’ stamp and an ID.”Alex’s blood runs cold. The Trail Room is what they call the test room that’s used for Soc. selection. It’s specifically built to test the ability of Wizards. He mutters grimly. “I’m calling Homme.” “Come on Al, don’t be ridiculous.”“No, you know what? I’m going to make him into a permanent sculptor in the park!” Alex shouts. He’s pacing in the room now, angry with Homme and with himself too. “It was supposed to be a risk assessment, not murder! I went into that Trail Room after months of proper training and I didn’t come out unharmed, and I was bloody good!”“To be fair, I was looking quite suspicious here. You know, I could be faking not knowing any spells. They needed a way to find out I’m not.” Miles tries to soothe him. Alex could not believe he’s so calm. SO RESIGNED. Tears are burning behind his eyelids, Alex’s voice cracks pathetically when he tells Miles to shut up and stop making excuses for them. The court announcement abruptly resurfaces in Alex head and before he knows, he is sobbing uncontrollably.“I just don’t fucking understand. How could they all be like this?” He feels so worried, scared and GUILTY. And he begins to apologize in between broken whimpers, again and again and again. Initially Miles was freaked out too. Then he starts making funny meaningless noises, telling Alex it’s okay. BUT it’s clearly not because his new friend was just tortured for no reason and there was nothing Alex could do. He didn’t even let Miles know that Homme was coming. To be honest, he’d never expect Homme to go this far. It takes another 10 minutes for Alex to calm down. Miles is quiet again. His breath now comes light and slow. “I called because I was alone in me room and I missed me mates. Whenever I close my eyes…. I can see them. Like they were still alive.” He confesses. Now Alex feels even worse because he just broke down and Miles was comforting him when Miles himself must be in a bad place. He probably just lost everyone he knew and the past few days were like hell. The last thing Alex should do is burdening him with his sentimental tosh. “I can almost hear you thinking you know.” Miles interrupts his thoughts. “Please don’t apologize again.”“Sorry.” Alex says by reflex. Miles laughs. “Thank you, Alex.” He says in a tender voice. “I was feeling a little crazy earlier...but not anymore.”Alex doesn’t really believe him. He doesn’t know what to say to make things better but doesn’t want to hang up either. So they begin to talk about random shits that don’t really matter, just to hear the other’s voice. At one point, Alex is caught off guard by Miles singing a Beatles’ song. His voice is so much like John’s. Alex couldn’t be much happier listening to him singing all night. He tells Miles about the old CD player he owns, a gift from his grandpa. Nowadays physical music products are very rare to find on the Moon. Nobody seems to care about it since they have such limited resources. There is no place for instruments or musicians on the exchange ships with Earth. Miles talks about the town he grew up. It was an hour drive from one of the main cities. His cousins are also magic users and they have a self-made fender around the little area. They never got too much attention from THE THING before the massacre. “Miles,” Alex whispers, struggling to keep his eyes open. He doesn’t want to leave Miles alone in the clinic. “Are you going to be okay?”“Of course.” Huffing out a laugh, Miles hushes him fondly: “Go to bed Al.You really worry too much.”+Alex ignores Homme’s calls for a week until Matt comes in, basically forcing him to pick up. They argue over the phone for a good whole hour about the placement of the Lower citizens and everything (Alex puts up an act that he found out the special risk assessment through the court, not from Miles). Homme is not the easy kind to waver, but Alex can be very determined.“What we did was only for the safety of the BASE, Alex.” Homme quails beneath the accuses Alex has been throwing at him. Apparently, he’s also shell-shocked by Rose’s crime and doesn’t want to be viewed as the same. “It wouldn’t happen again.”That is the closest thing to an apology he could give. Alex has no choice but to call it a win.Miles texts him again at the end of the second week. He has retrieved his device. Alex sends him his new schedule so that Miles won’t be worrying that he may disturb Alex’s boring, endless work.- I’m going to the camp tomorrow.-That’s great! I bet you’ll love Weller. Although I think Bono explains magic tricks even better.-You’re spoiling the surprise, Alex.When he puts down his receiver, his teammates are all in the kitchen. Matt is looking at him thoughtfully. “Any news?”Alex greets them. “Nah, nothing interesting.” Jamie makes a funny face, mocking skeptically: “Nothing? Have you seen your own face Turner? You better tell us her name.”“It’s Miles, isn’t it?” Alex chokes on his beer when Nick coolly speaks his mind. His reaction cracks his friends up. “Here it is!”Jamie is laughing so hard. He bumps Nick’s shoulder. “Told you! I’m definitely winning on this one.”“For the record, I’m not involved in this shit.” Matt raises his can. He was almost as upset as Alex when he knew about the Trail Room. Now gone is the possibility that Miles works for THE THING, he’s smirking with the others at Alex’s embarrassment.Jamie throws a roasted peanut at Matt. “That’s because you’re no fun!”“Do I even wanna know what you’re betting on?” Alex signs. He really doesn’t.The new schedule is working, but it also means they have to stay for an extra two months. They get a short break in the middle. All four of them decide to go back for the week. On the way back, everyone is napping in their own seat. It has been 10 painful weeks.The first thing he does after handing in the mid-term report to Homme is to pick up Mark. Surprisingly, Alison is not at home, and Mark is nowhere to be seen. Alex stands outside her garden, completely lost. Alison hates going outside. She’s even dating Jack in her own yard.His receiver beeps. It’s from Miles. - Come to the park. Got a surprise for you.Alex doesn’t know where this is going.- Don’t tell me you kidnapped Alison to steal my dog.-What’s going on in that crazy head? Quit being dramatic. Come or you’ll be crying for missing this x Miles is right. Alex would never believe it if he hasn’t seen it with his own eyes. When he arrives, Alison is playing with Mark on the grass under a beech tree. She looks almost joyful when Mark jumps on her lap. “Holy fuck.” He swears under his breath.A pair of arms are thrown on his shoulder from behind. Alex jumps, almost throwing out a spell out of reflex. But then he recognizes those fingers. “Miles!” He turns around, pulling his friend in for a proper hug. “You scared the shit out of me.”He draws back a bit, happy to find that Miles has gained some weight. He’s still thin, but not quite in the way that had Alex’s stomach throb with pain. He’s wearing a pair of black trousers and stripe long sleeves. No single trace of scar can be seen on his exposed skin.“Satisfied, Sir?” Miles spins around laughing, and goes back checking on Alex. “You look like shit.”“No shit, Sherlock.” Alex yawns. Although it’s not even 6 pm. “Feel like shit as well.”He’s distracted when Mark lets out a happy bark, scenting Alex’s presence. Mark’s rushing at him the moment he spots Alex, even knocking a well-prepared Alex down. He reels backwards, tripping on Miles and they end up going down together with Mark happily licking Alex face in the process.Alison walks up to them. She’s also surprised to see Alex here. “You’re back early.” She lightens a fag. “Everything ok?”“Yeah, I have this week off. Actually… I may have to ask you to take care of him a bit longer.” Alex says coyly. He struggles to get off form Miles’ knee. She waves at them, sitting down herself.“Why don’t you just ask him? He comes to the park every day for the dog anyway.” Says Alison idly. Miles’ ears turn pink with her words. Alex looks back at him incredulously, can’t control his growing grin. “Really?”“Well, Jack is on some mission this week. And Kane here begs me to take Mark out so he can keep seeing this little demon.” She explains.Alex looks back at her with an exaggerated hurtful look, as if she just revealed she’s actually an alien but forgot to tell him. “I begged you to walk him for months and you said you hated public places!”“Well, guess you’ll have to learn to be more persuasive, Turner.” She finishes her smoke. “I’ll leave them both to you then. Take care.”Alison is gone within a minute. Alex realizes he’s still sitting on Miles’ lap, holding his not so little dog. He hurries to move away, feeling himself getting red in the face. Miles doesn’t seem to mind. He’s giving Alex a hopeful look, letting Mark lick his fingers. Alex shakes his head and stands up, trying to keep a poker face but fails fats. “You cunning bastard. You’ve been planning on it, haven’t you?” “I just want to do you a favor.” Miles glance up innocently. Marks is happily circling around them both.“By stealing my babe, thanks very much.” Alex holds out his hand for Miles. He can’t hold back his smile anymore. “Where do you live now? I’ll let you have him only if you ask really nicely.”“In the shelter still.” Miles frowns. His face sinks. “I guess it’s better if Marks stays at Alison’s. I can walk him for her from time to time.”“What, but how?” Alex touches his shoulder, immediately sounding like a worried grandpa. Miles leans into his touch but smiles reassuringly. “It’s just for convenience, okay? Weller thinks it’s better if I do most of the training with Alexa.”Alex stares. “No way!” His eyes widen with wonder. “You’re a Healer?”“Not exactly, no. It’s way past the time for me to become anything, really. But they say I could get some training and join the Explorer team maybe, since I know my way down there.” Miles shrugs. He puts his hand on top of Alex’s. “I’ll show you a trick I just learned.”His magic floods into Alex’s body through their touching hands, still feeling somewhat raw and uncontrolled. Alex’s knees give away right away. He slumps to the ground and Miles kneels down together with him. Alex is again wrapped in the now familiar lukewarm touch, but there’s something more to it this time. The exhaustion is pushed out of his body by a flashing spark of magic, making his head spinning. It’s a nice kind of dizziness though. Miles lets go of him, slightly panting. He has his eyes fixed on Alex’s shocking face, grinning from ear to ear proudly. “How do you feel?” “Miles!” Alex looks down at his own hands. He gives it a test and his restored power sparkles in his palm like a small firecracker. “You’re fucking amazing.”+TBC+

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Chap 5 The only food Alex has at home is frozen pizza. They sit on the guest room floor while waiting for it to be ready. Miles makes a through scan at the spell books Alex has at home. Lots of them are “Dark Magic” related, filled with aggressive spells what make your magic power destructive. “Are those also what they teach at the camp?” Miles takes out one with the most worn cover. The title on the spine is completely gone. Although he’s nowhere near able to practice such level of spells yet, he looks quite intrigued. “Woooo, you have many notes on here.” “They are some alterations I made.” Alex squirms on the floor, uncomfortable with Miles going through his collections. He’s probably got the biggest private collection of books that should be in the restricted section of a library. He doesn’t want Miles to judge him. “It’s not from the camp. Actually, I got them from Julian…the Chief Wizard before me. They were me time killer before bed.” “Seriously? You read dictionaries on the bed, you nerd!” Somehow Alex doesn’t find it offensive when it’s Miles who makes fun of him. There is no real sneering manner of his body. And he seems unmoved to the fact that those are indeed dictionaries of dark magic. “Why’d you change them?” Miles asks curiously. He’s tracing one of Alex’s handwriting, his fingers distractively elegant. Alex only remembers to answer when he realizes Miles is looking at him expectantly. He quickly gets himself together, fighting to keep down the heat on his face. Alex tells him those spells were composed a long time ago to be used in wars. However, nowadays it’s not like Wizards are going to fight in a field with pure magic and bare hands. Those spells were long forgotten as numerous weapons have been invented to be used with magic. “I rewrote them, so they could be useful when I’m on missions down there.” Alex glances at Miles, making sure he’s okay with Alex talking about his not-so-noble work in the Lower cities. “Every month we come to the main cities for the maintenances of magical fenders. Wizards get attacked all the time working on site, from both outside and inside. Grabbing your gun and shot at the attackers takes a lot more time, you know? And it usually kills people. I’d rather not to use a gun.” Alex points at one of the spells he blacked out and rewrote on the side. He admits hesitantly: “This one was to strangle people to death. I made it to be a binding spell that’s usually unbreakable. You remember the one Tom used on you that day?” Alex doesn’t expect to see Miles watching him with pure admiration in his eyes. “Aw you little diamond.” He says adoringly. It’s meant to be a joke, and it does make Alex smile. “I don’t even know that’s a thing. I mean, can you just write a spell out of thin air?” “Theoretically, yes. The spells are just instructions to use your magic, right? It’s not like anyone’s screaming them out while waving a wand.” Alex opens his palm and he does the trick he did for Lydia in the shelter a while back. Miles touches the floating sparkles and makes silly noises, grinning from ear to ear. “Did I just earn myself another admirer?” Alex asks boldly. It’s not something he often does. But by now he’s already known nothing he’d do for Miles is something he’d usually do. “Only if you teach me how to do it.” Miles has him in a headlock playfully when Alex finishes the spell. His chest vibrates with laughter and is warm against Alex’ back. He whispers in Alex’s ear smugly: “I make a very good student, Sir.” Alex shivers under his last words. This is going to get embarrassing pretty fast if Miles does not let him go.He groans silently. He’s so not going to develop a hopeless crush on his new friend. He manages to wrestle himself out of Miles arms. “Well, Miles.” Alex breaths out a laughter, tucking his hair behind his ears. “You better keep the word.” + It turns out Miles is a quick learner indeed. Alex goes to the camp with him the next morning. He is half amused half terrified when Miles throws himself at Weller, giving the older man a bear hug. His draw drops when Weller doesn’t show any sign of objection and just lets Miles being a clinging child. He greets Alex with a handshake and a slightly surprised smile: it has been a long time since the last time Alex showed up in the camp. “You were kept busy all the time.” Weller says disapprovingly. They sit at the coach together, while Miles is in the training yard with a group of teenagers. “They are not treating the young generation very well these days.” Alex shrugs. “The situation in the Lower cities is not getting any better, Mr. Weller. I’m trying to convince Homme to double the maintenances we do for them. Every other week there’s a new town that’s been destroyed.” “There was a huge protest when they were first shutting down the station.” Weller still calls the Upper City by its old name. “The ‘maintenances’ were earned by people going on strikes for weeks. Many magic users had to agree to the new laws if they wanted to protect their families. The contract was if they worked for the station willingly, they got to keep their beloved ones in the station even if they were not considered specifically talented.” Alex knows about this. He’s heard it all before from his grandparents. “I’ve heard lots of things after you left the camp, Alex. You don’t care about the rules very much, do you?” Weller did not train Julian, but Alex has been his student when he was here. “Are your parents still working in BLOCK 309?” His words give Alex chills down his spine. Immediately, he understands what Weller is hinting. “Yes, Sir.” Alex answers cautiously. He was planning on visiting them tomorrow since he hasn’t got the chance to go home for over 3 months. “You’re a brave young man, Alex. Talented as well.” Weller nods. “But don’t rush it.” They sit in silence for a while. Alex watches Miles practicing with the kids. They are trying to build a proper shield with magic and now Miles can do it without breaking a sweat. He’s exceptional for someone who gets trained for only two months. Alex can’t see why he’s not able to become a Wizard or Healer. He’s so caught up in his own thoughts, pondering over what Weller just said. It never really occurred to him that his parents might be in danger if he kept pressing on the issue. He has been writing reports to Homme and the court since he became the Chief Wizard 4 years ago. He knew Julian used to do the same thing. Alex always believes it’s the right thing to do: If they can’t take everyone back to the Upper City, they should at least try harder to protect people in the Lower cities. Miles startles him with a smack on his knees. “Al?” He shortens Alex’s name all the time now. “What’s wrong?” “Nothing.” Alex was unaware of his approach. He forces a smile. “You are great. The best in that group, in fact.” “Well, I was with a bunch of kids.” Miles rolls his eyes. He places himself on Weller’s precious seat, the older man now on the yard talking to the young Potentias. “There’s this one boy named Tom. He couldn’t shut up about how good you are, you know? I didn’t know you became the best Wizards in town at only 19!” It brings back what Alex’s trying to not think of. “It’s not like that.” He can’t help but feel a little low. “I guess it’s partly because of Julian. Or Homme. I don’t really know what happened back then. They could have easily picked Jack—” “Give yourself some credits, Al.” Miles lays up his smiley face and casts a sideway glance at Alex. “Something is bothering you.” “Drop it, Miles.” He tries to brush it off. Alex can feel Miles’ gaze boring holes on his head. Suddenly, Miles shifts closer to him and stretches out his hand. He does the trick Alex taught him yesterday and a small rounded creature jumps at Alex, landing on the tip of his nose. It disappears rather quickly, leaving a warm spot on his skin. Alex is taken by surprise. “Miles! What’s that?” “A turtle.” Miles answers seriously when Alex quit scratching his nose. Alex stares at him. “How the hell do you know what a turtle looks like?” “Well, I’m not illiterate, am I? I went to a fucking school.” Miles elbows him gently. And the next thing he says is totally random. “Somebody once told me me face looked like a turtle.” He does this to make Alex happy. However, it’s such a weird way to cheer somebody up. Miles is looking obviously awkward and rubbing his arms nervously. Alex bursts into laughter. “Throwing your magical self at my face now?” He bumps their shoulders together. “You’ve got some nerves, Kane.” They only stop joking and wrestling with each other when Weller comes back to give Miles’ some instructions. Later, when Alex walks out with Miles by his side, the heavy feeling in his stomach is barely there anymore. Still, he texts his parents that he’s not coming tomorrow: Better safe than sorry. + The only one that seems to dislike Miles is Taylor, although she’s not treating him rudely or anything. Alex doubts Miles could even tell she’s not a fan of him. Alex only knows because he’s familiar with Taylor’s body language when she’s in a bad mood. “Alexa is waiting for you in the playroom.” She says tersely. Miles thanks her and runs into the corridor. He’s surprised that Alex doesn’t follow. Alex tells him he’ll be there in a minute, and sighs in defeat, turning around to face Taylor. “I’m glad that you’re back.” She says. At least it does not sound sarcastic. Alex flashes a tight smile as he sits down across the deck. He’s not really unhappy to see her. For what it’s worth, they have been friends for a long time before that on-and-off relationship. They broke up at the beginning of this year. Alex’s never in the BASE for very long and it’s just not going to work with his working schedule being a mess. He feels bad for breaking up with her still. She did not do anything wrong and she clearly still likes him. Alex has just been too numb to be a proper boyfriend: He really has a shitty job. “Are you free tonight?” She asks casually. Alex shakes his head, telling her about the plan he has with his teammates. They’re going to make a real dinner at Matt’s flat and then go to a local pub to get pissed.  Breana, Katie and Alexa are coming as well. It is such a weird thing to say, but somehow Alex feels like he should explain himself: “I’m not dating Alexa. Miles asks her to come.” Taylor gives him a dark look. “Are you dating Kane then?” “What? No!” Alex laughs out in disbelief. “Why does everyone think I’m shagging him?” “Well, you made some big news saving him. And two months later he’s already sharing all your friends. Isn’t it a bit obvious?” Alex stares. “Miles is my friend.” “I know. That’s why we are having this conversation.” Taylor drops her pen. Her eyes are genuine, but her words make no sense. “He’s suspicious as fuck is what I’m saying.” Later that day they are heading towards Matt’s. Alexa decides to come back to her flat and changes into casual clothes so there’re only him and Miles walking. Alex is still bothered by Taylor’s speech. She seems so composed and calm, showing no intention of starting a fight with Alex. She points out how Miles’ been so entangled with Alex’ relationships with others. He seems to have no problem sitting with Zach and James at lunch time and he hangs out with Alexa after his training is finished. She grills him about it. “There’re so many people in the BASE and he lives here. He doesn’t have to choose only your friends to be friend with! And last time I saw you, you didn’t like the camp or the shelter very much. Now you’re following him around like you’re his accessory?” Alex doesn’t know how to defend Miles without getting mad and throwing her, in a way, kindness in to the bin. He barely manages to leave without any shouting. Alex hates himself for even sitting down and listening to Taylor. He hates himself even more because for a split second her theory doesn’t sound like pure nonsense. After all, the blooming friendship he has with Miles is something new to Alex. She’s right about one thing: Miles has fitted in his life so effortlessly. It’s STRANGE and almost scary. Miles eventually asks him what he’s angry about, after Alex stumbles over a step and nearly falls over. “Nothing.” Alex murmurs. Miles catches his elbow and stops him. “You’ve been ‘NOTHINGing’ me a lot recently.” He pouts. “What happened?” “That’s not even a real word.” Alex dodges the question. To be honest, he’s really frustrated with himself. It seems that all of a sudden the thin balance he has managed to keep is broken and so many problems are coming down all at once. Miles steps back. “Is it because of me?” He asks. He’s really too good at reading Alex’s thought. “Not really…well, sort of…maybe.” Alex surrenders. He does need to get his thoughts out. He was just waiting to see Matt because he doesn’t want Miles to know. “I don’t even know how to put it.” “I can see that.” Miles mocks. But his expression is soft. “I’ll save you the struggle. Is it because Taylor hates me?” Alex is not at all expecting him to say that. “She doesn’t hate you.” But she thinks you are approaching me with horrible intensions, which is worse.He adds in his head. Alex bows his head and starts walking again, scowling. Miles follows him closely. “Okay, I believe you. But why you’re angry then?” “Because I should have stood up for you!” Alex snaps. He can’t believe he’s losing his temper right now. “And I should have come back home to visit my parents. Fuck, I didn’t even go to confront Homme after getting back—” “Al.” Miles interrupts him. He’s touching Alex’s elbow again, this time offering comfort. He speaks firmly but in a sweet way, like he’s persuading a difficult little kid. “Alex, you are too harsh on yourself.” Miles doesn’t even ask Alex why he felt the need to stand up for him, or why he canceled the visiting plan. He just stays close until Alex is not quivering with dread. His existence itself calms Alex down. Once he feels like himself again, Alex turns all red. “Thank you.” He murmurs. “And sorry about earlier.”  Miles answers by wrapping an arm around his shoulder. Damn anyone’s good will.Alex thinks to himself. He’s the one who knows Miles the best. In the past three days, Alex went to his trainings in the camp and in the shelter (Miles is doing great in both). Miles walked Mark with him in the afternoon and they came back sharing frozen Pizza, practicing little tricks Alex has written. He even stayed in Alex’s guest room yesterday because they were listening to his records and totally forgot the time. If Miles wills to do anything evil, he’s had all the opportunities in the world. + Alex doesn’t get to return to the west end. The day before they are leaving, he’s sitting in the shooting range watching Miles and the kids trying to bring down the targets. Tom, the boy Miles mentioned the other day, is superb for his age and he’s so pumped up whenever Alex gives him an encouraging smile. But most of the time Alex’s attention is focused on his friend: Miles is absolutely amazing for a beginner. He’ll be a waste joining the Explorer team. Alex may ask Weller if he could write to Homme about letting Miles get trained for a bit longer. He’s more than happy to take Miles in his team if he wants to be a Wizard. Not saying that being a Wizard is a nice job. But it’s still less dangerous than being the only magic user in an Explorer team. Alex just knows it’s not going to end well. Or Miles could get trained to be a Healer. Alex is sure Alexa could use an extra pair of hands in the clinic. He doesn’t get to talk to Miles about this either. The moment Alex leaves the shooting range to look for Weller, he’s welcomed by a group of Explorers and an Inquisitor he doesn’t recognize. “Mr. Turner.” The man nods at him. “You need to come with us.” “Wha— why?” Alex is truly confused. He tries to remember what he did this week. Nothing more than walking Mark in the park, coming to Miles’ training and meeting his friends. “Sir, we don’t know any better. We are just required to take you to the court.” The court. Alex curses under his breath. It’s better not about the spell he casted on Homme. He’s pretty sure they were supposed to figure that out after his mission in the west end. No information is given, but he can’t fight against an Inquisitor. Without a choice, Alex shows his obedience reluctantly. However, his body goes rigid and he steps back when they come to him with binding ropes. “I don’t think that’s necessary.” “Mr. Turner, we are only doing what we’ve been told.” The Explorer says nervously. One quick glance and Alex realizes this man is afraid of him. The whole team is. His chest suddenly feels tight and Alex becomes silent. He lets them tie his hands behind his back, wondering what they’d think if they find out Alex knows exactly how to break the fucking spell on the rope, which he invented in the first place. “What are you doing?” Miles’s voice breaks the dead silence in the corridor. He runs towards them. “Alex—” The Inquisitor casts a glance at Miles’s direction with a saturnine expression on his face. Alex feels like a brick slid into his stomach and he instantly shuts Miles up. “Miles, come back to the range.” “But—” “I’ll be right back.” Alex lies, knowing it may be a promise that’s too juicy to keep. He does not look back once when he walks away with them, but he feels Miles worrying gaze on his back the whole time. When they turn into the next corridor and the touch is gone, it takes every single bit of self-control in him for Alex to not show any sign of weakness. +TBC+

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Chapter 6+
Someone approaches him with a clear glass jar, light greenish liquid sloshing inside. Alex tries so hard to sound neutral when the Explorer makes him drink it up. “I was not planning on enjoying this myself when I made it.” Alex laughs grimly. He could see out of the corner of his eye that Homme gives him a warning look.“Moving forward, Mr. Turner.” The Inquisitor remains unmoved by Alex’s taunt. “Did you know any of the Lower citizens in the shelter before the explosion happened?”The truth telling serum takes effect in a rather brutal way. Alex wants to stay silent, but it feels like his organs are burning from inside. “Yes.” He grits his teeth tightly. “I know most of them. I was on a previous rescue mission and many of the survivors are still living in the shelter.”“When was your first encounter with Miles Kane?”Alex spits out: “The day before when your men tried to kill him!”The Inquisitor goes back to tab on his screen. Alex gazes around the interrogating room. He’s sitting in the center of the round room, tied to a chair. The Inquisitor, Homme, James and Kevin are behind a long table that blocks the only exit. Three explorers stand behind him quietly. The only source of light in the room is the bright white bulb above his head.“How many direct contacts you have had with THE THING?” He asks again.“I don’t know, around 10?” Alex can’t see why this is important.The Inquisitor looks surprised. “10 times?” He presses on it again. “That’s an unusually high number.”“I wonder why, you know? Oh, right… I have the same job for over 3 years.” Alex reminds him. Homme’s face is livid. He’s been trying to stop Alex from infuriating the Inquisitor since they first entered the room. Alex would be more prudential about his words if his not under the effect of the magic potion. “Maybe slightly more. It attacked us a few times when we were mending the fenders. The other times were during the rescue mission.”“Martin.” Kevin speaks. He’s one of the Judges that Alex knows about. Probably the least intimidating one in the court. “I think Mr. Turner has been doing a very good job maintaining the Lower cities. I don’t see any problems here.”Martin, the Inquisitor, looks down at his screen again. “Why would you keep requiring increasing the maintenance services then?”“Because people are dying!”“Calm down, Alex.” Homme scolds. Alex glares back furiously. The suffocating air in the room makes James hide his face in his palms. He’s only here because he’s in charge of the monitors. And he’s already told the Inquisitor several times that Alex was never seen doing anything suspicious.“What do you want to know exactly?” Alex asks for like the tenth time. Martin is still typing. This time it’s Homme who speaks. “Did you bring the Potentia back to your own flat without notifying the safety department, Alex?” He sounds disappointed. Alex shuts his eyes. He didn’t report this to Homme or anyone else. How could they know about this? He didn’t think anyone spot them the other day either. It was already past ‘daytime’ and his flat’s only 10 minutes away from the BASE. “I did.” He admits. There’s no point denying when James sits there. The monitors inside the BASE probably caught them leaving together. “I thought it’s clear that Kane had nothing to do with the fire and —”Martin interrupts him. “Mr. Turner, it was not about the Potentia. It’s about you. You’ve been very…sloppy with the laws. The court is always very forgiving, as we don’t want one of our best Wizards wasted in jail. Let me clarify, you’re here because we received complaints about your certain behaviors. Besides, you’re showing unreasonable interest in beings from Lower cities.”He talks about people down there like they’re nothing more than unvalued furniture. Despite knowing many Upper citizens probably hold the same opinion, Alex still feels so sad and powerless when he hears it from one of the men in charge. Despair and rage make his eyes burning. “How is my concern unreasonable, Sir?” He’s not going to crack before this man. “She’s killing innocent people and I—”When he realizes what he just said, it’s too late to pretend it’s just a slip of the tongue.“SHE.” Kevin analyzes him carefully. Alex’s heart is racing in his chest. Fuck. He doesn’t even get the chance to ask Miles why he called THE THING a “she”. “That’s an interesting choice of word, Mr. Turner. How do you know?”“I…eh, I don’t.” Alex answers. Fortunately, it’s the plain truth: He has no fucking idea. They wait for a while and nothing seems to happen: the truth serum proves his words true. James murmurs that Alex probably just misspoke because the room is too dreadful for anyone to think straight. He squirms on his chair, suggesting that the interrogation comes to an end.One of the Explorer comes to untie him. Alex can’t feel his arms. He sits still on the chair for a while after the restraints are removed, feeling weak and confused. Kevin leaves the room first, followed by an unhappy Martin. James has no choice but to go after giving him a concerned look. Homme waves at the Explorers. They are gone within a minute, leaving only Alex and Homme in the room.“Who told you THE THING is a she, Alex?” Homme asks. He DOES know his way with interrogations. “I want a name.”Alex bites the inside of his cheeks until he tastes blood. When he gets out, he’s going to bother Miles to death and make Miles tell him everything he knows. “Nobody told me anything.” Alex lies through shuddering teeth. His whole body feels on fire when he swallows Miles’ name back down to his throat. “I misspoke.”Homme is right in front of him right now. “Alex, you have to tell me.” His eyebrows furrow into a worried look. “You are in more danger than you understand. Nobody can help you if you hide back information.”“I didn’t.” Black spots are dancing in his view. God, everything hurts so much and all he wants is for the pain to stop. Homme bends down and grabs him shoulders. Alex flinches, letting out a pained groan. His vision is all blurred.“Who told you? Tell me, Alex!”“…nobody.” He insists through gritted teeth, and then everything goes black.+He wakes up to the soothing smell of the clinic.Alexa is working on making some potions on the floor beside his bed. Miles sits next to her, his face wrinkles with concentration. She’s explaining the ingredients and what kind of magic should be put in. They are both unaware of him opening his eyes. Alex tries to move his legs and immediately regrets it. He swears under his breath when agony subsides, and Miles is now sitting on the edge of his bed. “Don’t move, Al.” He coos. “It will take a while for the effect to wear off.”“I’ve never seen Homme this angry before. When he took you in, he’s like a boiling kettle.” Alexa touches his arm tenderly. She’s casting an anesthetic spell on him. Alex feels much better when she’s done. At least he’s not in pain anymore. He thinks back about the whole interrogation. What Martin said. “I don’t think Homme set this up. To be honest, I don’t think he reported me for attacking him. Someone else did. And this person knew I took Miles back to my flat the first night.”They both looked surprised.“Did you tell anyone?” Alexa glances at the door. “Don’t worry. The monitor in the consulting room is shut.”Alex lets out a frustrated breath. “Only you and the guys. They wouldn’t report me for shit, and I know it’s not you.”Miles only speaks when Alexa walks out to call Nick, Matt and Jamie inside. Miles grabs at his hand, starling Alex a bit. “Was it why they took you?” He looks ashamed. Alex squeeze his fingers back.“Don’t think so. They tried to make it look like that, but I think they suspected I knew something about THE THING.” Miles’s fingers become rigid in his hands. “We need to talk about that later.”Matt comes in first. “They took you down from the mission.” He waves vehemently. “And they still want us to go, those bastards!”“White is sent to replace you.” Nick adds apologetically. “We leave first thing in the morning.”Jamie sits down on the other side of the bed. “I hope he’s not as dead as he looks.”They fall into silence after that. Alex manages a tight smile at Jamie’s attempt to lighten the mood. Alex is extremely self-conscious right now: He’s been injured before in missions, but never so severely that his friends need to gather around his bed, worried sick. Miles pulled his hand away the moment his teammates came in. Somehow it annoys Alex even more.“Could it be White?” Nick suggests.“No way. I know Jack, and he has no reason to get me into trouble.” Alex shakes his head. There is no pointing sitting here guessing who wrote the “complaint”. It’s not even the important part: The court just needed an excuse to grab Alex because of what they thought he knew. He has to figure out the piece of information on his own without dragging anyone else into this mess.“He’s probably going to be chosen as the Chief Wizard if Alex is removed.” Matt nods. “Considering White refused to be the co-Chief for like a hundred times, I don’t think it’s him.”Jamie frowns. “Somebody must see you guys coming back together then. Could be someone lives nearby.”“And that includes half of the Wizards in BLOCK 505.” Alexa cuts him off. “You guys better go. It’s close to midnight and I don’t think Homme will be pleased if you didn’t turn up on time tomorrow morning.”“I’ll be fine.” Matt closes his mouth when Alex gives him a pleasing look. He doesn’t want his friends to worry even more. “I’ll see you guys in two months, okay?”Miles stays. He’s extremely quiet today. Alexa walks them out and he touches Alex’s arm again. “I’m sorry.” He hides his face behind his bangs.“Not your fault.” Alex signs. He’s fucking tired. “They’d find another excuse anyway.”“You’re grounded in BLOCK 505. They put out an announcement saying —”“I can guess what they have to say.” Alex interrupts. He really doesn’t want to hear it right now.Miles’ hand leaves again. The act makes Alex sulking for no reason. He’s tempted to ask Miles to leave as well, just so he could curl into a ball and hides from the problems. “AI, I…I think someone wants to keep you here.” He suddenly says. Alexa stops on track when she got what Miles was implying.“Go on.” She pours the magic potions into a few jars while gesturing Miles to speak up his mind. “This person is targeting Alex alone, apparently. I don’t think the goal was to put Alex in jail. I mean, there was no evidence whatsoever. It’s more like to keep Alex from coming back to the west end.” Miles says thoughtfully. “All his teammates are away and now Al is alone.”“Nice theory, except one thing: it makes no difference if I’m all by myself.” Alex retorts. When Miles and Alexa only stare at him, he curls his lips incredulously. “You’re not suggesting someone’s trying to kill me.”Alexa picks up the filled glass jars. She doesn’t answer. Alex watches her receding figure in speechless astonishment. This time, when Miles tries to touch him, Alex flinches back.+He insists to leave the clinic when his legs come back to function. Miles follows him. They walk in agonized silence and when he reaches his flat, Alex realizes Mark is not huddled under the table snoring. Miles tells him they took Mark away for inspection this afternoon. If Alex is not so drained, he’s probably going to scream or smash something.“Alex.” Miles turns back when he reaches door, touching the handle hesitantly. “Do you mind if I stay the night?”“What for?” It’s really not a nice question to ask. But somehow Miles’ manner is bothering him. “Spill it out already.”Miles can’t look more uncomfortable right now even if he tries. He’s not even looking Alex in the eyes. “It’s just...I worry about you, Al.”For a split second, Alex is seized with anger. Maybe it’s because technically Miles DID get him into trouble in the first place. Maybe it’s because of the way Miles’s acting, like Alex is something fragile and needs protection. Or maybe it’s because Miles was not expecting him to snap and Alex can see he’s trying to hide that he’s scared, just like everyone else is when they are around him. It only agitates him even more, resenting the possibility that even Miles may think he’s a dangerous freak.Whatever reason it may be, when he comes around, he’s already had Miles pinned on the door with a not so friendly spell. Miles yelps in surprise and struggles to get loose out of instinct, but he soon forces himself to stop fighting and look at Alex in the eyes. “Look, Miles. I can take care of myself.” Alex stares at him darkly, his voice soaked with sarcasm when he speaks. “I don’t need you to guard my freaking door.”“Alex! That’s not what I mean.” Hearing Alex's words, Miles loses his faked tranquility. A wounded whimper leaves his throat, and he’s lips are shaking when he opens his mouth to speak again. Suddenly, Alex can see it’s not fear that Miles was holding back: he’s just trying not to look upset because of Alex’s fierce reaction. “Al, please. I’ll... I’ll go. I’m sorry, please don’t cry.” He doesn’t realize he is crying. But since Miles pointed it out, he couldn’t just stop. All the anger and frustration flee from his body, leaving Alex with only exhaustion, grievance and guilt. Alex breaks the spell and pulls Miles close, hugging him tightly. He hides his wet face in Miles’ neck and Miles, unsure of what to do, gingerly puts his arms around Alex’s shaking shoulder. “Sorry Al. I really didn’t mean to—”“I know.” Alex sobbed, clinging to him even more. “I’m so sorry too Miles. I don’t know what I was thinking...”Miles combs his hair gently. “Shhh, it’s alright. You didn’t hurt me.”But he did, only not physically. Alex never takes out his temper on his friends, never once tempted to do so. He has no idea why he cares so much what Miles may think of him. Why should he feel heart-broken even if Miles has been secretly scared of him? What he just did gives Miles all the reason in the world to be.Miles’ fingers linger on his scalp gently. They stay like that for a little while until Alex stops crying like a baby. He still feels like shit about what just happened. Miles’ gesture is, on the contrary, completely relaxed. He seems to have completely forgotten that Alex just threw him on the door, his body language only speaking trust and fondness. Miles continues to hold Alex and even starts rocking back and forth. Eventually, he begins to sing Hey Jude while patting Alex’s back. It’s hilarious and weirdly endearing, successfully making Alex melt into a smile. Alex tugs on Miles’ waist to stop him, and the next moment they are rolling on the floor. Miles laughs out for the first time tonight, holding onto Alex tightly.When their laughter dies out, Alex wipes his face awkwardly. Miles lies beside him, letting out a long breath. “Call me if anything, okay?” He asks stubbornly, and then rises to leave. Alex grabs his wrist.“Where do you think you are going?” He jokes nervously, hoping Miles understand it’s an unspoken apology. “Come on, my hero. Stay.”Miles grins at his words. “You sure?” He looks like he’s having trouble believing Alex, but at the same time rather hopeful. Miles twists his face dramatically to look as pitiful as he could get. “But I’m not sleeping at the door.”Alex blushes. He’s supposed to laugh, or feel ashamed, or both. But instead, a strange sensation makes his chest warm and tight. Alex swallows a couple of times until the lump in his throat disappears. “I happen to have another bed, you know.”Miles giggles. He rolls up and looks down, making Alex’s heart skips a beat for no reason. Miles holds out a hand to him. “As you command, Sir.”+Alex stays in bed until noon. He could get up and do things, but he simply couldn’t find the willpower or the reason. He doesn’t get much sleep last night. Lots of thoughts tortured his mind and he woke up several times, retching and shaking.He hears a rustling. Alex relaxes a bit at the thought of Miles in his flat. They could grab a lunch together and he needs to talk with him about THE THING. And he will apologize properly for yesterday as well. Alex gets up. The immense pain in his body has dulled into feebleness: the truth-telling spell was used for torture in the past. Although he changed the formula, it’s still powerful.He doesn’t expect to see Miles hunching over his settee, rummaging through the pocket of his Jacket.“…the fuck you doing?” Alex raps out defensively. So many doubts rush into his head all at once and he’s suddenly very aware of the possibility that Taylor suggested days ago. Miles jumps at his voice. He turns back to face Alex and he looks GUILTY. “What are you looking for in me pocket?” Alex takes one step forward. Miles is holding something in his left hand and tries to not let him see. “Sorry, I didn’t want to wake you up.” He explains, fidgeting. He catches Alex’s gaze and turns an embarrassed shade of red. “I was stealing a smoke.”He shows Alex what’s in his hand. It’s the cigarrete pack. “You use a bloody inhaler, Miles. Do you even smoke at all?” Alex asks in disbelief. His guard still up. He’s having a hard time trusting anyone right now. “I’m stressed, okay? And you didn’t get much sleep last night so I thought I’d just tell you later.” Miles puts down the pack on the tea table slowly, and Alex just notices the darkness under his eyes. He looks tired, worried and hurt.Alex can’t close his mouth. “Mi— tell me you didn’t sit here all night.”“It’s less creepy when you don’t say it out loud.” Miles shrugs. “Sorry.” “Sorry—” They say in chorus. Alex’s expression softens. His grabs the pack and lights the last cigarette in it, taking a long drag himself before handing it to Miles. Miles takes it with a quiet thanks. His fingers hold the cigarrete gracefully and Alex can tell a smoker when he sees one: Miles is not lying after all. Alex’s seeing things because of his own stress.Alex breaths in the smell of smoke. He asks, although it’s not really a question: “Must be hard to get tobacco down there?”“You bet.” Miles smiles bitterly. He hands the cigarrete back and Alex puts it back to his own mouth. “Even harder than condoms.”They both laugh, although it sounds forced to Alex’s ear. “How do you know THE THING is a she?” Alex asks when the cigarette burns to an end.“I was told so. Some magic users call it like that. But not everyone. I was at school in the city, and there was this lady who taught us how to do tricks. She always said it was because SHE was hungry when severe attacks happened. I didn’t stick around long though. Me mum and aunt were back at home in me town and neither of them knew magic.My cousins didn’t live with us anymore. Really, I was just not in the mood of learning how to fetch Upper citizens to feed her, you know what I mean?”Alex doesn’t. He’s shocked at Miles indifferent expression. “They taught you to…what, attack Explorers and Wizards?” “Like I said. Down there we seek revenge in a different way.” Miles shrugs again. “Did you ever —”“No! For fuck sake, Alex. I’d never.” He grabs his sideburns with his fingers violently. “I ran back home after a few month. I couldn’t leave me mum alone. I gotta—I thought I could protect her.”His voice cracks in the end, only then Alex realizes it’s not just friends that Miles lost during the massacre. He reaches out to blanket Miles’s shaky hand with his own, gently untangle them. His soft hair touches Alex’s knuckles. Alex feels sorry that he has asked. “Miles—” Alex falls silent, doesn’t know what to say. His not so good with words when it comes to speaking them out loud. So instead, Alex reaches into one of the draws under his tea table. There is a disguising spell on it, making it look empty. He grabs the spare key to his flat and offers it to Miles. “Let’s go outside and grab something to eat, alright? And you’ll have some rest.” He wraps Miles’ hesitant fingers around the small piece of metal. Alex probably holds his hand for a bit longer than necessary, but he couldn’t care less right now. “This time I’ll guard the door.”+TBC+

----- CHAPTER BREAK -----

Chapter 7+
“I could just tell Weller that I won’t be going.” Miles tries again while pouring Alex his third cup of tea in 15 minutes. Alex is tempted to say yes, but he decides against it. He’s been in his flat for three days now. He needs some fresh air.Alex takes a sip of the tea, shaking his head. “No, I’ll come with you.”They don’t talk about the fact that they are almost like conjoined twins now. Alex could use the company and Miles don’t really love living in the shelter.“What about Mark?”“He’s so fed up with me cuddling him all day yesterday. We can walk him later today in the park.” Alex looks at the fluffy ball on the settee. He’s glad that at least they didn’t do anything to Mark. Otherwise, Alex can’t promise to not do something he’d regret later.Miles grins. He teased Alex to death when Mark was first sent back, and Alex was acting like a worried daddy. “Okay then. Guess we can just ask Weller about that thing.”Alex blinks in confusion: “What thing?”“The magical crispy hot thing, Al.” Miles just bubbles whichever words that come into his mind and Alex gets it finally. He’s talking about the connection they have with their magic. It seems so trivial now that they have many other things to worry about. Still, thinking about it brings a smile to Alex’s face.They walk side by side, shoulders touching occasionally. Miles tugs his elbow and points at the door of the camp when they get close, showing Alex his little ‘fans’. Tom and Joe are standing there, talking. They both wave at them when they spot Miles and Alex. “Morning, Miles, Mr. Turner!” Tom greets them. He’s definitely excited to see Alex again.“Why am I Mr. Turner when he gets to be Miles?” Alex gets into a fake huff. Tom stutters to explain and Miles just smacks the back of his head, taunting Alex being an old man. Alex is secretly relieved that the kids don’t seem to give a fuck about the rather stupid announcement about him being inadequate to keep up with his job and needing a six-week “furlough”. Joe even asks him if he could do a demonstration today since they are learning some spells Alex wrote. “Which ones?”“Petrification and binding.” Miles tells him. He whispers in Alex ear before running forward to join the kids. “I’m proud of you, Al.”It takes a while for Alex’ heart rate to get back to normal pace.Weller does not seem so surprised when they come to him with the question, though he does ask them to show him how it works, which neither of them has any idea of. “Maybe you should just make a shield.” Alex suggests. Miles does what he’s told, and Alex let his own magic knocking on the now well-structured fender. The moment his magic touches Miles’, he feels the warm tingles again. Miles draws back, panting, much affected as well.“Ah! That’s interesting.” The old Wizards gasps, “I haven’t seen this in a long time.”Alex looks at Miles and Miles looks back, both nervous with anticipation.“It’s more often seen between siblings. The Gallagher brothers had it. But it could be found with unrelated pairs as well. Last time I saw it, it was between Barat and Doherty.”Alex’ face burns bright red. Weller smiles knowingly, getting up to help the other Potentias and Miles is left confused. “What was he talking about, Al?” He glances Alex up and down, suspiciously. “Who are the Gallagher brothers, Barat and Doherty?”“Barat and Doherty were Julian’s deputies, and the Gallagher brothers were the Chief Wizards before them.” Alex picks at his nails, pretending to be distracted by something on the floor.“We’re not related, so it must be like the other two, right? Do you know them? What exactly is this…” Miles gestures between them. “Alex, why are you acting so strange? Is it a bad thing?”“No! Not at all.” Alex finally finds his words. God help him, he’s going to sound so cheesy. “It’s like a rare bond, you know? We are like…soulmates or something.”Miles’ eyes widened. He opens his mouth to say something and Alex suddenly finds his slightly crooked teeth extremely cute. Fuck, the new information has already made Alex delusional and there is no way he’s telling Miles the second relationship between Pete and Carl. Just…NO.He thought Miles would mock his choice of words, or at least make some silly comments on the bond they happen to have. However, Alex is surprised to find Miles frowning, murmuring pensively. “Damn, no wonder…”“What?” It’s Alex’s turn to get curious. “What do you mean?”“Nothing.” Miles comes to himself. He looks unlike his usual self though, face serious and almost sad. Alex couldn’t understand why he’s suddenly so bothered. A thought flicks through his mind and Alex’s stomach becomes 10 times heavier as he wonders if that’s because Miles simply doesn’t like the idea of being his soulmate.His insecurity must be all over his face, because the next thing he knows Miles is leaning towards him. He puts his head on Alex’s shoulder and his breath is warm against Alex’s collar bone. “I can’t believe it, fuck.” His voice quivers with emotions that Alex can’t fully read. “I’m so damn lucky.”+The bond is another thing they don’t talk about.Miles basically moves into Alex’s flat now. Alex lets him take some of his own clothes so that Miles doesn’t have to dress like a patient all the time. They go to Miles’ trainings together and Alex is happy to be a volunteering demonstrator in the camp. In the clinic though, he’s not half as useful. Not everyone can master healing spells and Alex is horrible at them. He can’t even heal his own chapped lips, let alone set a broken bone.He watches Miles casting a mending spell and the fractured wood merge into one piece. “Wow! You really have the ability to heal things.” Alex whispers in awe while Alexa praises Miles with a charming smile. “That’s so surreal.”“Says the big guy himself.” Miles chuckles. “You’ve been so sweet to me, Al.”“No flirting in class or I’m kicking you both out.” She warns without any heat. Miles only laughs louder and Alex blushes hard.His receiver beeps and it’s Matt calling. Alex goes to the corridor to pick up. They only have a few minutes before Matt has to come back to work. “Everything ok with the drilling project?” Alex asks. Not that he doubts Jack’s ability, but Jack is not a fan of fixed schedules and sometimes it’s hard to work with him as a team.“Superb.” Matt says sarcastically. Alex feels bad for not being there with them. “Don’t worry, we’ll survive this. How about you?”“I’m good.” Alex answers, and that’s mostly true, considering he’s still on parole and not allowed to even visit his parents in BLOCK 309. “I hope Homme would let me go with Zach on next month’s maintenance though. I’m useless in here.”“I’d trade place with you if I only could!” Jamie’s voice rings in the background. They all laugh.“What about the little bird?”Alex signs. “Still no idea.”That’s all they could say on the phone. Alex cannot be caught trying to figure out who reported him to the court right now. Homme probably still believes Alex knows the way to THE THING’s cozy home and is just keeping the information from him. Alex has to pretend he has learned his lessons, at least for a while.When he puts down his receiver, Taylor is standing behind him with a sulking frown.“See, someone is alive!” She says rather harshly. “You didn’t come in and you didn’t replay messages. Too busy playing house?”Alex could make neither head nor tail of her words.“Looks like you have my advice boxed up and buried.” Taylor towers over him and Alex feels extremely awkward when she has him against the wall. He doesn’t feel the need to explain himself anymore, since Alex knows Miles is, in a way, officially entwined with him.Taylor suddenly adds: “Kane’s wearing your shirt.”“Eh…I gave it to him. It’s his shirt now.” This sounds awfully suggesting. “Listen, Taylor. I’m grateful that you care, I really am. But please stop saying such things, alright? Miles is not some creep. I can assure you—”“Someone sent an anonymous report about you to the court, from INSIDE the Shelter.” Taylor says, a smug look on her face flickered briefly and turned into concern.Alex freezes.“How’d you know —”“Ford told me, you dummy.” Taylor lowers her voice. “I was worried sick about you when I received the announcement. I just went and asked him.”Some parts are weirdly vague in her statement. “What, so James just told you willingly? What did you do, Taylor?”“Nothing illegal, come on! That’s not the point!” She pouts. “I’m trying to make you see Kane’s true face—”“How do I know it was not you?” Alex retorts coldly. Her mouth snaps closed. Taylor looks at him as if Alex just spat the most vicious curse at her face. Her eyes are filled with tears instantly.“How dare you, Alex?” She cries. Alex immediately regrets his words. Taylor may be pissed at him, but she wouldn’t rat him out. Not to mention she didn’t even know Miles was with him the first night.“I’m sorry, Taylor. I went too far.” Alex apologizes genuinely and puts his hands on her arms, trying to comfort her. Taylor turns to him and sobs against his chest, still ranting on about her thoughts. Alex holds her gently, waiting for the first violence of her emotions to pass. He talks heedlessly while thinking about have a chat with James himself. “Thanks for telling me. Promise I’ll think about it. I will.”+Alex did not go to James before, fearing to cause him trouble. But now he couldn’t sit still for one more second. James still feels bad for what happened in the interrogation room. The moment Alex sat down at his table, without even opening his mouth, James just asked him to have some tea in his office.James’s office is also monitored, but he knows what to upload and what to destroy. “All I know is that a report was sent to the court the second night after the fire. The monitors were still broken, so no one knew who that was. It could be anyone, really. Loads of Wizards saw you casting that spell on Homme.”Not many of them knew Miles went back home with him. Alex adds silently. His mind is a total mess. An evil voice whispers in his head: But Miles knew.But Miles was in the hospital that day. He and Alex were texting each other all night like two teenage besties. There was no way that Miles sneaked out of the hospital, went back to the Shelter and sent a freaking report to the court while texting Alex. How did he even know how to use the communication system?You showed him how to access the system on the receiver before you left. The voices taunts venomously. He’s a smart guy.“…lex, Alex?” James shakes his shoulder slightly. “Are you alright? You look pale.”“I’m fine.” He lies with difficulty. “I need to go.”Miles is not in the clinic. Alexa is surprised to see him. “He went out looking for you about an hour ago.” She says, “What happened?”“I’m not sure.” Alex replies honestly. He hates how his voice is shaking. “I’ll tell you when—if I figure it out.”Alex calls Miles. He picks up after about 10 seconds. “Where are you?” They ask at the same time. Miles sounds nervous and Alex doesn’t know what to think. “I was looking for you.” Miles breaths out, his voice still sounds funny. “I am in the meeting room right now. Meet me here?”After a few deep breaths, Alex laughs at himself quietly for being so paranoid. No way it could be Miles. Alex just needs to tell him about the new information, so they can try to find this person. They were to figure out what the court was after, but after nearly two weeks there’s still no light on that matter. Right now, a waffling thread is better than nothing.Intended to get there as fast as he could, Alex bows his head and walks like he’s the only living creature in the BASE. It’s a miracle that he only runs into someone in front of the meeting room.Alex looks up. It’s Homme.“Alex.” The Commander is not surprised at all to see Alex here.Damn. Alex feels sick. This is a trap.“Where is he?” Alex asks, magic boiling furiously on his skin. Homme backs off cautiously, making way for him. Alex steps inside and there is Miles, sitting on the round table, fiddling with his receiver. His eyes light up when he sees Alex at the door.“Al!” Before he can even stand up, Alex immobilizes him with a spell.“What are you doing, Alex?” Homme questions.Alex turns to face him. “You could have just called me, Sir. Why all the trouble?”“I was not looking for you, Alex.” Homme looks genuinely shocked. He shakes his head in a gesture of distress. “You’re overreacting.”Alex whips around to look back at Miles, who seems so taken a back that Alex doubts he’d move a single inch even if Alex removes the spell. Homme gives him one last almost pitiful look before he leaves the room. Alex only comes around when Miles calls him warily. “I knew what it looked like.” Miles says, his voice strained. “But there is no need to throw spells.”“I went to see James.” Alex walks to him, ignoring Miles’ complaint. “And guess what? Someone sent the report to the court from inside the shelter.”Miles stares. “What?”Alex murmurs without thinking: “I don’t know. You tell me.”For the second time today, Alex is faced with someone’s hurt expression, only this time his own heart breaks with Miles’ astonished gasp. “You thought it was me?”Alex waits for him to explain with ease. Or to deny fiercely like Taylor just did. But Miles does neither. If anything, he looks lost. Devastated. “You’re fucking unbelievable.” He snaps angrily. And after that, Miles refuses to say one more word to him.+Alex walks back to the clinic. Alone. He stops at the entrance and thinks of what he has to say to Alexa. In fact, he has nothing more than his unconfirmed doubts. And what would Alexa say? “It could have been anyone who spotted you walking together, you dumbass. Give me one good reason that Miles would sell you out.” Alex can almost hear her voice in his head.Miles, out of all the people, has the most chance to do Alex wrong. He didn’t because he didn’t want to.Alex turns around and runs back to the meeting room. Of course, Miles isn’t in there anymore. Alex removed the spell earlier when he stormed out and why would Miles wait for him? Alex groans helplessly, grabbing out his receiver to call Miles. There is no answer.He’s not at home either. Alex closes the door heavily, desperately trying to think where Miles could have been. And then he realizes Mark is not at his usual spot sleeping. The park! Alex rushes out of his flat. He takes no time to get to the only park in BLOCK 505. It’s a decent size and is the only place in the BLOCK that has real plants. Alex used to love it to death but now it seems to have way too many shrubs. The tracks are too swirled, and Alex is searching the place fruitlessly like a mad man.He does find Miles eventually, thanks to Mark who is making loud noises behind one of the bushes. Alex squeezes himself through and finds Miles sitting on the grass, looking down at his own feet. Mark doesn’t run to Alex like he usually does. Instead, he is licking Miles’ face and whines constantly. Miles is quiet and still, but the way he hugs Mark gives himself away.He’s been crying.Alex gets down on his knees. “Miles,” He pleas. “Miles, I’m so fucking sorry.”“Go away, Alex.” Miles murmurs, sounding stuffy. Alex is close to tears himself. Think, Alex. Think of something fast.“You said— You left me a note, saying you’d return the favor.” His voice cracks, and Alex has to stop to take a deep breath. “I want it now. I want you to talk to me.”“Really? That’s how you decide to use it?” Miles shouts back. He’s never like this with Alex: He’s always funny, smiley and gentle. Alex blinks back his own tears and nods. He knows he’s cheating, twisting Miles’ promise like this. But he can’t have Miles turning away from him right now. “What do you want me to say? That I reported you to the court? Fine, I did. Now you can go fuck yourself and leave me the fuck alone.”“Miles! Please don’t say that.” Alex begs. “I trust you.”“Not as much as you trust Taylor, right?” He says spicily, still hiding his face behind Mark. “I saw you with her and she looked so upset. I thought I’d just go wait inside. But then she was mentioning me name and what did you say, Alex? Oh, you’d think about it! You surely made up your mind.”Just when he thought he couldn’t make one more mistake today, Alex bolts out the first thought that flickers before he could stop himself: “Why did you listen to us?”Miles’ head jerks up. He looks like Alex has just slapped him. Miles pushes Mark away, the dog jumping aside and sitting down on the ground anxiously. “I don’t know,” His eyes are all red. “Maybe it’s because I was spying on you, so I could write another report someday.”Alex is so frustrated right now. With Miles and with himself. “I know you won’t!” He shouts back. “And I didn’t mean that! She’s upset I was just saying shit to make her stop. Taylor was crying because when she accused you, I got so mad and said horrible things to her. I tried to find you and just talk to you but then you were there with Homme and I—I was scared, okay? I wasn’t thinking and I’m truly sorry!”“TALK. You mean confront with me.” Miles really can be difficult when he wants to. Alex glares at him, and Miles glares back. “Homme came because I asked for him. And you know what? I was begging him to let me go with your team when your suspension is over ‘cause you are horrible at healing spells yet too fucking noble to take a healer with you!”Alex suddenly loses the ability to stay upright. He falls back on his heels, heart growing 10 times bigger. It feels like he’s been given a present that’s too good to be true. “You did?” Alex asks after a long pause. He looks at Miles in disbelief. “But why? It’s too dangerous, Miles. You can work with Alexa in the clinic and—”Miles chokes back a cry. “Will you, for once, stop thinking about anybody else?”“But you’re not just anybody.” Alex insists softly.Miles gets onto his knees. All of a sudden, he grabs Alex’s collar and tugs him up and close. “I fucking hate you.” He spits out earnestly, but his hands are gentle. “Why do you have to be like this, Alex?”With that, Miles kisses him.Alex barely has time to react before Mile pulls away. He licks his lips out of instinct, and Miles’ gaze is glued to his face. Alex can’t read through his eyes at this moment. “I listened to you and Taylor because I was scared that you’d come back to her.” He looks so defeated, so sad. All his anger vanishes, and Miles is crying again. Alex crumbles completely when seeing his tears. “I’d never hurt you, Al. I would die for you even though I know you’d hate me for it.”Alex cups his wet face just when Miles tries to escape. He feels light-headed. Every problem he has suddenly seems so petty. Before he comes to erase the annoying gap between them, Alex makes the promise he intends to keep with his life: “I’ll keep you alive then.”+TBC+

----- CHAPTER BREAK -----

Chapter 8+
Alex goes to see Homme. It’s not 100% by choice if you ask him. But Miles seems pretty positive about the meeting and insists Alex should go. “Tell him what I told you.” Miles suggests, “And see his reaction.”Alex does. He picks out the most convincing part but leaves out Miles’ name. Homme’s face stays neutral when Alex finishes what he has to say. “I’ve heard more than once people in the Lower cities calling it like that. Our attackers work for THE THING, I guess they have a nickname for it or something… or they can somehow communicate with the monster and found out its gender?”“Most of them are magic users. In this case, did Kane know as well?” Homme asks abruptly.Alex is tempted to deny but changes his mind at the very last second. “He does.” He lies without a blink. “I told him.”Homme’s jaw drops. “You told him? What exact did you say to him?”“The same thing I just said to you, Sir. I was trying to see if he knew better, since Miles lived down there. But he was the only Potentia in his town and was untrained.” Alex raises his voice a bit, unintentionally, and Homme’s face darkens. He knows very clearly Miles was very limited on magic knowledge during that bloody risk assessment. “Sir, is there anything that I should know?”“Stay away from the magic users in Lower cities, for one.” Homme rakes his face with his palms tiredly. Alex’s brows furrows, but he doesn’t say anything. “I’m assuming you only told Kane about THE THING to pry open the Pandora’s Box. Don’t ever mention it to anyone else ever again.”Alex shots up on his seat. “So it is true? You know for sure that THE THING is a she? What else—”“Alex, I know you are very intelligent, and you must have understood why the court was investigating you. I have tried my best to get you out, but there is a limit to my power. From now on, write NOTHING about increasing contacts with the Lower cities.” Homme’s warning is very close to a plea. “It’s for your own good.”Homme continues before Alex could reply. “Kane asked to join your team, which I suppose he’s already told you.”Alex nods warily. Homme gives him one more warning look. This time it’s more of a threat. “You saved him, and Kane seems to be very attached to you. I suppose you know how to keep his mouth shut. What’s done is done, Alex. But keep your distance. Kane is from the Lower cities. Magic potion is not enough to prove his innocence if he gets caught.”+“…I feel like he’s bluffing.” Alex sums it up. But Miles’ attention is at somewhere else. When he turns back to Alex, Miles looks very sombre. “No, he’s not.”Alex narrows his eyes. “How do you know?”It’s like everyone is trying to keep from him. Alex can never understand why Miles shies away from his most straightforward questions. “Alex, I think you should listen to him. Just let this one go for now, okay?”Alex stares at him. “You can’t be serious. We didn’t have a clue who wanted to keep me inside the BLOCK. On top of that, Homme basically confirmed that they knew something about THE THING and was trying to scare me off. Something’s really wrong here.”“But what you gotta do? I’m not saying we give up. I have this bad feeling Alex…you could still be in danger. Let’s wait for a while?”His face furrows, and Alex shakes his head. “Nobody is murdering me in the BASE, Miles.” He put up a smug look just to make Miles stop worrying, “Not to mention it would be a Herculean task.”“Love it when you get all cocky.” A smirk flickers at the corner of Miles’ mouth. Alex elbows him. Miles glances around and quickly drops a playful kiss on Alex’s forehead. “What did I say about flirting in my office, for fuck sake!” Alexa is standing at the door, trying hard to conceal her smile. “You left with such an ugly face the other day, Alex. I'd never guess you were to confess your undying love.”His smile freezes. Miles quickly slaps him on the shoulder and rumples up his hair before Alex can even begin. “Al, I told you it’s all alright.” He purses his lips knowingly. “I beg you not to apologize again. But no complaint if you want to kiss it better.”Alex can’t help it. He leans forward and bites on Miles’ lower lip. Miles gasps happily, sucking Alex’s eager tongue in his mouth and pulls a bit harder on his hair. A shiver runs down his spine and Alex is burning with the desire to lick every inch of his skin—“Out, both of you!” Alexa nearly drops her box when she comes in again. She yells in both annoyance and amusement. “Don’t make me curse you!”Following behind her is Lydia, who fortunately didn’t see anything and is clueless why Alex is suddenly red with embarrassment. She runs towards Miles and hides her face on his knees when Alex says hello. “How’s your throat feeling today?” Miles coaxes her to sit on the chair. The shelter is very much empty now. Other survivors all moved to the residence area and only Lydia comes in regularly for medicine. She’s too little and the air in the Lower cities messes up her respiratory system badly.“Sore.” She answers quietly. Alexa pats her head lovingly. “I’ll take care of her. Go, Miles, Tom is waiting for you. Alex can stay with me for the afternoon.” She casts a glance to a very confused Alex. “Of course, only if you want to, Al.”Alex looks at Miles, who all of a sudden seems guilty. “Where are you going?”“I have this assignment.” Miles squirms on his seat. “Patrol to Lower cities today with Meighan’s team.”Alex glares at him, doubting his own ears. “And you didn’t bother to tell me?” “If I told you, your morning meeting with Homme was going to be a mess, Al.” Miles stands up to leave and Alex follows him into the corridor. “Look, if I’m going with you on missions, I better go with other Wizards on request as well. You know how rare the Healers are and usually they can’t do other kinds of spells. I can do both just fine. It’s better this way.”“It’s Homme’s idea.” Gritting his teeth, Alex swallows back the frustration. Miles shrugs nonchalantly. “Actually…it’s mine.”What does he have to say? Only silence seems to be a good answer. Alex should be happy for him: Miles is getting a real job and recognition. Tom won’t agree to take him instead of a known Healer if he doesn’t think Miles is good. But at the same time, Alex is so annoyed that Miles didn’t tell him beforehand. It’s not a place of peace and love that he’s going. “I survived 23 years without any proper magic involved, babe. The good thing is now you know how I feel when you play the hero.” Miles squeezes his hands very briefly. They can’t do more in communal area with monitors scrutinizing their every move. He smiles apologetically. “Sorry I didn’t tell you, Al. I’ll make it up to you when I’m back.”“You better.” Alex murmurs. He wants to kiss Miles goodbye so bad. But all he can do is give him a hug before Miles disappears at the exit.+“I’m happy for you, you know.” Alexa agrees that Alex takes Lydia back to where she lives. They both hold her hand when they move to the main entrance of the BASE. Some whistles are heard when they walk pass the canteen. “I know, I know. It’s the ‘I saw it coming’ speech you’re going to give me.” Alex blushes, rolling his eyes. He hasn’t told the boys yet. He just knows Jamie will never shut up about it.Alexa winks and beckons him to shut up. “No, seriously. You seem much livelier when he’s around. More like the Alex I knew before you became the perpetual motion machine.”“I’m not THAT obsessed with me job.” He retorts. Alexa shakes her head. But she doesn’t say much when Lydia is around. “Your care too much. Not saying it’s bad, Al. But it can be very exhausting. Someone to heal your mind is good for you.”He doesn’t have an objection for that part. Miles is indeed very special. Alex keeps the magical bond to themselves: It’s way too intimate to share.Lydia lives in one of the residence halls they have for Lower citizens. They usually get a job in local stores, factories and farms or become an Explorer. It’s quite common for survivors to be recruited into the Explorer teams. A minor is a rare occasion. Alex doesn’t really know what they’d do with kids.“I live with Ariella.” Her smiley face tells Alex Lydia loves her. “She takes care of me and my friends.”Ariella works as both a real doctor and a Healer in the hospital. She’s an outgoing and powerful lady (Her boyfriend though, is not particularly fond of Alex). He laughs with her, and Lydia tugs on his fingers to guide him to turn at the next crossing. Ariella is on evening shift today. Alex waits patiently until she’s free, making sure Lydia is not bored. But he’s checking his receiver every half hour to see if there’s a report for today’s patrol showing up, or a message from Miles. He gets nothing until it’s 7 pm and Ariella rushes downstairs to pick Lydia up in her arms. “Hi, Alex!” Her smile turns to a frown. “You look worried.”“I have something to—” He hopes he doesn’t sound too rude. “Nice to see you, Ariella. But I have to go.”“Wait! Alex, I saw the announcement…you alright?” She sounds genuinely concerned. “It was a shitty one though. You’re the best! Let me know if you need anything.”Alex is warmed by her gesture. “Thank you.” He waves at them both. “Hey, by the way, where’s the gentlemen that usually does your job,” She asks when Alex’s by the door. “Miles?”Alex is surprised that she talks about him in a we-are-old-friends tone. “On a mission. I’m actually…I’m about to look for him.”“Well, when you see him, tell him I have the ingredients he needs ready, okay?”Alex halts. “What ingredients?” He turns back and quickly offers. “I can fetch it for him.”Ariella does not perceive the sudden change of tone in his voice. She leads Lydia upstairs and quickly comes back with a carefully wrapped box. She is very specific about not exposing the ingredients under strong direct lights. Alex’s heart drops a few inches at the warning: That’s usually a sign of dangerous magical potions. “What are those for?”“He doesn’t say specifically. Mentioned it’s for the camp.” She hugs him briefly and goes back up again, leaving Alex standing at the entrance, breathing out in relief. He doesn’t plan on repeating his mistake again. It seems ridiculous now to suspect Miles’ every single move. Alex can trust him with his own life. He quickly walks back to his flat.+Alex finds Miles sitting on the settee in complete darkness, head in his palms. Alex is startled by his silhouette. Immediately, he senses something heavy and WRONG in the air. The room smells like cigarette and alcohol. Mark is by the door, nudging Alex’s legs the moment he walks in. “Miles?” He quietly asks, gnawing on his bottom lip. “Mi, you okay?”His voice sounds too loud in the darkened room despite his effort of whispering. Alex grimaces, putting down the box and placing himself next to Miles. The settee sinks further under his weight and brings their thighs together. Miles is trembling.Alex puts an arm around his shoulder, his heart sinking when Miles still refuses to look at him. “Are you hurt? Something wrong with the patrol?”Miles shakes his head silently.“Miles, you’re scaring me.” Alex pleas. “You wanna talk about it?”He is answered by Miles suddenly turning towards him, wrapping arms around his neck. Alex is surprised by the kiss, which is more brutal than usual. Almost desperate. He kisses back nonetheless, letting Miles take charge and open up for his demanding tongue.When they part, Alex is breathless and even more worried. “Al,” Miles mutters, his hand sliding down to Alex’s lower back. He’s burdened with obvious self-loathing for some unknown reasons. “I’m sorry I met you.”“...the fuck you’re on about?” Alex shots back defensively and pulls him even closer. Miles attacks his neck with an open-mouthed kiss. His words muffled. “You’re the best thing that ever happened to me.”“I could say the same thing. What’s all that about? Miles, something you’re not telling me?”“I...” Miles pauses. When he speaks, he sounds sad and almost in pain. “I love you, Al.”Alex goes stiff in his arms. Not that he doubts it, but he’s not expecting to hear it now, or like this. “Is that supposed to be a secret?” He asks in great confusion. Uncertainty seizes Alex, steaming a nausea in his body. Miles kisses him again.“No.” Miles sighs in his mouth. His forehead touches Alex’s when he utters the last few words. “But I want you to know.”Alex is still lost in thoughts. Why is Miles acting like this? He couldn’t be that daft and really thought that Alex doesn’t feel loved. Or was it because something Alex did? Does he not know that Alex is a fool for him after everything? Miles seems to read his mind again. “It’s not you, Al. I just...it has been a long time since I was down there.” He shivers. “Feels so unreal to be here now.”Alex grabs Miles’ hand that’s on his neck, brings it down and drops endless kisses on those slender fingers. “Even now?”Miles looks him in the eyes finally. He smells like smoke and rum and grief. He’s torturing Alex without even realizing it. “Especially now.” They end up in Alex’s room with Mark snoring at the foot of the bed. Miles told him a bit more about his life down there, living with his mum and aunt. The resources can be limited up here, but almost everything is worth fighting for in the Lower cities. He certainly wasn’t proud of what he had to do to keep them from starving to death. And a patrol to the old ground does not bring back happy memories. “It’s not on you, Miles.” Now Alex feels equally sad. “We could have done better. I never understand why they didn’t keep the gate open. The Exchange Day was so close! They could just send those people back to Earth.”“Missed opportunity.” Miles buries his face into the pillow. “Too much blood and hatred already there, Alex. Even if the gate is reopened, many people who lost their loved ones would want revenge... At least you’re still taking in survivors. Not all BLOCKs do that, right?” “No. Some are low on energy themselves. But we don’t accept magic users. You were the first Potentia.” He hasn’t stopped thinking about what Homme said. “I think they are trying to lower the chances of magical communication.” “Good for you people.” Miles laughs. It’s hard to tell if he’s being sarcastic or not when his voice is so low. “Are you coming to The Exchange Day of this year? It’s soon, right?”“Yeah, can’t give you the date though, it’s not the same every year. But it should be early next month. Still three weeks left in me HOLIDAY, so I may have to stay.” Alex shifts, trying to find a more comfortable position. He feels Miles is too far away when they are not cuddling. He remembers the box that’s sitting in the living room. “I took Lydia back earlier and Ariella had something for you. Something for the camp?”“Oh, yeah. I forgot.” Miles turns to him. His arms find Alex’s waist and makes him a little spoon. “For tomorrow’s lesson… some Mandrake roots and Elderflowers.”Alex is not having doubts or anything, but it’s still nice to hear him say it. “Want me to come with you?”Miles answers by kissing the back of his neck. Alex signs contentedly. “I love you too, you know.” He murmurs. Miles only hugs him tighter.+The next day, however, both of them are unable to make the lesson.They are having breakfast in the kitchen. Matt is on speaker, updating their work at the west end. They managed to break the maria this week. Below the anorthosite crust, new drilling bits were used to replace the old ones. Alex has always been dying to have to look at the inner structure of the Moon, but they’re not allowed to come close to the mine pits except for reinforcing the fenders around it. “Had a short two-day break and back to work today.” Nick’s voice comes in. “How are you, Al?”“Nothing new. I’m going to the camp with Miles.”Jamie should be banned from ever speaking another word. “Are you shagging him finally?”“Jamie! For fuck sake!” Alex drops the receiver while Miles laughs to tears. Miles comes closer and loudly kisses his cheek, making sure everyone on the other side of the receiver can hear it. Alex glares at him. Miles only laughs harder when Jamie shouts: “Ew! Gross!”“You asked for it man!” Miles shouts back smugly. “You better hang up before I do something better—”The line is dead instantly.“Fuck you, Miles.” Alex can’t hold back his own grin. “Come here and give me something better.”His receiver screams again. Alex groans and throws it on the settee. “I’m not answering that.”“No, baby. Mine’s ringing as well. It’s from the open line.” Miles stops to fetch his receiver out from his pocket. And it’s a message from Homme: “Emergency muster! All Wizards in BLOCK 505 come to the meeting room. Repeat! I call for everyone who receives this message.”Alex digs out his own receiver. He receives the message as well.“How come I’m on this calling list?” Alex waves his device. Miles is looking equally confused: He’s not a Wizard, but he also receives the message. Homme’s voice rises again. He does NOT sound very pleasant. Miles nods at him. Alex gets the message without him saying anything and they are out the door in less than a minute. Something must have happened if they are both on the emergency calling list.Something bad.+TBC+

----- CHAPTER BREAK -----

Chapter 9+
“More than 10 calls for help were received in the last hour from 7 different cities below us. Most of them are asking for urgent reinforcements of the fender. The attacks Lower cities are getting have doubled within the past 5 hours.” Homme turns on the big screen, so everyone can see where the SOS signals were from.“We’ve decided that it’s a special occasion. Everyone that’s not on a mission should now be on this case.” Homme pauses, casting a glance at Alex and Miles, who stand side by side at the very far end of the room. “Turner will be in charge of the assignment…as usual.”Alex’s eyes widen in surprise. Miles lets out an audible gasp, nudging Alex cheerfully. He quickly stops when Homme calls out his name. “I want to have a word with Kane. Everyone else can go to the Chief.”Curious gazes fall on Miles when he walks pass the Wizards. Alex wants to follow him, but they are short on time and people have already started gathering around him. He shakes his head and forces himself to focus on the case. It feels so strange to be responsible for such an emergency all of a sudden when he hasn’t been on any missions for so long.Himself included, 23 Wizards are available in the BASE right now and only a few of them are new to this job. Alex pulls out his screen to quickly split them into pairs: The usual groups of 4 or 5 Wizards will not be enough to cover the targets this time. He clears his throat. “Eh…I just sent the group info to everyone. Adam and Matty stay at the BASE for now, just in case any more calls come in. Zach, can you and Tyler take two Explorer teams to one of the cities that we received multiple SOS signals? Luke and Hugh please do the same. And Tom…”20 minutes later, Alex’s the only one that’s left in the meeting room with Homme and Miles. Their talk has come to an end and Miles turns back and beckons Alex to get closer. He’s smiling.“You team is in the west end and I know you’d work alone, Alex. I’ll let Kane come to the ground with you. Temporally.” Says Homme. Alex opens his mouth to reply but Homme quickly adds. “The restraining order against you is removed. You have all access to the system now. I want you to keep your line open 24/7 and figure out what is happening.”“Yes, Sir.” Alex says almost too eagerly. The moment he and Miles are out of the meeting room, they run towards the parking lot.Alex leaves the only place where the fender has been reported to be fully broken to himself. THE THING has snatched a few citizens already and the fender will need to be fixed from the outside. The Explorer teams will be searching for any survivors near the site while Alex works on repairing the fender. In the meantime, Miles can set up a shield for them just in case THE THING decides to get back, although it’s unlikely that The THING will attack the same place twice on the same day.“How is Homme letting you on this case as a Wizard? Did Tom write a psalm about you for yesterday?” Alex can’t help but ask.“Al, it was only a patrol yesterday and I came as a Healer replacement, remember?” Miles rolls his eyes. “He’s desperate probably, and I don’t think he’s letting me on this task as a Wizard. Weller said I’d need another year to pass the test.”Alex grimaces at the mention of the Trail Room. “What did he say to you then?”Miles shrugs. “You’d be surprised…he’s basically asking me to not let you get yourself killed, since you have made a name for yourself by making sentimental decisions on site.”“Homme would never talk like that!” Alex is indeed taken aback. He was not expecting Homme to talk with Miles about HIM. “Why in hell did he talk to you about this? He barely knows you! And please don’t tell me he’s betting on your unyielding love for me.”“He knows I’m from the Lower cities, Al.” Miles’ face falls. He’s suddenly dead serious. “He knows that means I don’t make softie mistakes at any time.”One of the ships is already on operation, waiting only for them to get in. Alex steps directly inside the cockpit to start the ship and grab two cloaks for himself and Miles. When he returns, he finds Miles still standing in the middle of the cabin. His arms are crossed defensively, and he looks almost scary, staring furiously at the Explorer teams on board. Everybody seems to be frozen on spot and it takes Alex a few seconds to realize what’s wrong.One of the Explorer teams is led by Joe, all his men are turning steadily more paper-like. Joe himself looks like a dear caught by a hunter.“Miles.” Alex is the only one who dares to speak. He tries his best to sound neutral. “Come inside.”Miles follows him. He arms still folded and his body rigid. They are alone in the control room, where the screen shows the route. It’s over an hour before they land. Alex curses under his breath. “Fucking hell! Miles, I’m so sorry that I didn’t think of—”“Don’t worry. I’m not going to kill anyone.” Miles murmurs. “But I’m tempted to curse him into a mouse.”Alex points out instinctively. “There is no spell for that.”“I know, just saying.” Miles pouts, touching the back of his neck almost subconsciously, and Alex feels the ghost pain himself. Miles looks at him, his face instantly softens. “Alex, stop looking so guilty, will you? I’m going to think it’s you who ate the last pack of shortcakes, not Mark.”“Bullshit, that’s definitely you!” Alex snorts softly. He’s still feeling bad for not checking with the Explorers beforehand, and now Miles has to work with his torturers. Despite knowing the team was under the influence of Rose’s spell, Alex can’t help but hate them for what Miles had to endure on that day.“Why’s the sulking face?” Miles flashes a tight smile at him, taunting playfully. “I’m amazed how you manage to blame yourself for everything, Al.”“I want to turn them into mice for you. I would.” Alex blurts, startling even himself. He blinks, bewildered by his own words. He has no idea where that comes from. Miles is so shocked that he opens and then closes his mouth for several times, yet finding no words to say.“Al,” Eventually he drops a kiss on top of Alex's head. His eyes are determined and glassier than usual. “I’d never forgive myself if I really make you do something like that.”+The moment they return to his flat, Alex pushes Mile up against the wall. His heart is pounding like a broken alarm, and it’s not blood that runs in his veins anymore. A mixture of fear, anger, proud and love rushes into his temporally dysfunctional brain and he lets out an uncontrolled, pained cry. Miles grabs his hips so hard that Alex’s skin will remember the shape of his fingers in the next few days. “I’m right here.” He whispers, shaky breath caresses Alex’s trembling lips. “It’s alright now. You’re safe—we’re safe.”“You were incredible.” Alex tells him, but his hands speak differently. They are protective and enraged and loving all at the same time. They accuse him of being ruthless, playing with death and leaving Alex in the audience to watch.
It was a now-or-never moment: Alex finished mending the cracks and they were just leaving. All the Explorers were all back inside except Joe, who was caught by a pitfall during retreat. Alex was about to close the fender when the accident happened. Joe screamed and there were suddenly gunshots coming from the darkness, the bullets hitting the fenders. They were under the attack of “unfriendly” locals.

Alex was about to jump out himself when Miles tugged him on the shoulder. Miles gestured at Alex to cover him. And the next second, he was outside the safe zone. Alex let his magic wiggled out with Miles and guarded him when Miles focused on curing Joe’s leg with a spell. No words were exchanged, yet they did it like they had rehearsed a thousand times before.

It was only a few seconds, and then they were both back inside the fender. They returned to the BASE with everyone on board. Nobody’s left behind.
“He hurt you and was going to leave you to die.” Alex says darkly in between kisses. “But you still went out like a superhero.”Miles flips them over and now Alex is leaning on the wall. “He was not in his right mind…and I wouldn’t do it if it was three month ago. It’s because of you, Al. You make me a better person.”Alex groans loudly when Miles drops to his knees. He’s already half hard. “You do, Alex. You have no idea.” He doesn’t even take off Alex’s trousers fully, just unzips it impatiently and pulls him out, swallowing Alex down with no warning.Alex curses loudly, throwing his head back. He knees feels weak and he can barely stay upright if Miles doesn’t have him pinned against the wall. Soon his murmurs of encouragement melt into high-pitched moaning and Alex tugs on Miles’ hair to give him a warning sign. But Miles only sucks on the head of his dick with more eagerness, making those wet erotic sounds deliberately. He lets go of Alex’s hipbones and cups his ass instead, encouraging Alex to fuck into his mouth with all he gets. Two of his fingers find Alex’ entrance through the layers of fabrics and he pressures down like he’s going to take Alex right here by the door. The feeling pushes Alex over the edge. With an almost pained cry, he comes in Miles’ welcoming throat.Light-headed and suddenly boneless, Alex is only half aware that Miles is up on his feet again until his teeth find Alex’s fast pulse on the neck. “Let me.” Alex hums lazily. He grabs Miles wrist to stop him opening his own zipper. “Want you to come for me like this. In your pants.”Miles swears, dropping his head on Alex’s shoulder. Alex touches him through all the clothes and it must be somewhat painful. Miles doesn’t seem to mind though. He makes the most beautiful noises for Alex, like he’s dying for everything Alex is willing to offer. “Mi…Miles.” Alex kisses the tip of his ear. He pushes his magic inside Miles body and earns a choked whimper against his shoulder. “Come on, babe.” He coos. “Show me how much you want me.”Miles obeys without hesitation, Alex’s name rolling off his tongue like a soft plea.Later, they lie awake on Miles’ bed in comfortable silence. The guest room is smaller and crowded with books. Somehow it feels safer. Alex likes that the linen smells like Miles, although he hasn’t been occupying this bed very often since their first kiss was exchanged.Alex used to be fascinated by the dim warm light that fills up the room. He’d stay inside and spent his precious free time listening to the air purifier and imagining the sound of breeze. Now he keeps his own breaths quiet just to hear Miles breathing peacefully beside him.“Did you really mean it?”Miles is startled by his question. rubbing his eyes in confusion. “Emm?”“You wouldn’t risk your life saving Joe if it weren’t for me.”Miles casts a sleepy glance at him, grinning. “Don’t flatter yourself Alexander. I didn’t say it like that.”His next words have Alex gasp in surprise. “I’d seek a chance to get him back, probably. I was so angry with them, with this place. I hated the way we had to live down there, and I blamed it on your people…I did. I probably still do if I’m really pissed, you know?”Alex didn’t know.Miles continues. “You were everything that I imagined you not to be, Al. You rearrange my mind.”“You are not a bad person, Miles.” Alex gently pries his clenching fist open and hold Miles’ hand in his own. “You are great and I wish I’d get to know you earlier.”Miles flinches and tries to move away. “You didn’t know what I was like.”“But I know you who you are.” Alex insists. He holds on even tighter, and this time Miles lets him. “I love you for who you are.”+The next two weeks are gone in a blink. The sudden boom of attacks from THE THING spreads to the entire lunar surface and almost every BLOCK has been receiving SOS from nearby Lower cities. The west end is the only exception, for all towns near the drilling pits has already been dead for decades.“They’re not postponing the drilling project no matter what. White and we are still negotiating with Billie, but I doubt they’d let us go.” Matt says during their quick breakfast check-in, frustrated. “They don’t give a damn about how the Lower cities are doing, to be honest. I hate to be here for even one more day.”Alex doesn’t have a say in this matter. He is tempted to ask Billie himself, but Miles argues against it fiercely. “You are technically still in suspension, Al! Not worth risking it.”Nobody is on Alex’s side. “Miles’ right.” Nick agrees, “What’s the benefit if you get yourself grounded again?”Zach meets with them before they go to the meeting room together. The reinforcements for main cities are almost done and now they start taking care of the SOS signals from other resident areas. “Most of the cities are not in real danger yet. Those magic fenders were maintained earlier this month and they should be able to hold up after a second boost. It’s the smaller towns that I’m worried.”He’s right. Today they are assigned to a rescue mission 50 km east to a major city. Alex has to read the report on the ship because they don’t even get to sit down before Homme send them out with two groups of Explorers. The SOS sign was received about an hour ago and the town has been quiet for a while now. They can’t rebuild the connection and Alex is filled with dread on the way. Miles stands next to him by the window, a thoughtful look on his face when he reads the route and location.“Can I go with you, Al?” He grabs at Alex’s cloak.Alex frowns, lowering his voice. “We've talked about this already, Miles.”“Please, Al. Just this one time.” Miles is frantic with worry. On the reinforcement missions, they work as a perfect duo. But for this rescue mission, Alex insists that Miles stay on board. “I knew this place. It’s…maybe Zach can stay in the ship and we’ll go out with some of the people.”“Why?” Alex asks incredulously. “Something wrong with this town?”“The lighting system was blown up about a year ago.” Miles looks at the window and the darkness outside. “Nobody bothers to fix it, Al. Most of the town area has no lighting.”Alex’s heart sinks. This will make the task ten times more dangerous. On the SOS signal, someone said THE THING was destroying the buildings one by one and they needed protection immediately. Alex doesn’t even know if they can get there in time.“In that case, you’re so not coming with me.” Alex bites on his lower lip. “Miles, rescue missions are much more dangerous. I can’t guarantee that my shield will protect us both for that long.”“I can make my own shield.” Miles pleas. “Please, Al…you don’t have to worry about me. Just let me go with you.”Alex shakes him head firmly. “No. I’m your Chief Wizard and I command you to stay.”Miles glares at him. “You can’t be serious.”“Well, try me.” Alex teases his hair with fingers and ties it up into a bun. When he turns back, Miles has an accusing face on. He knows exactly how to make Alex feel guilty: “What I have to do to make you trust me, Al?”Alex shots back defensively. “I do trust you, Miles.”“Then let me go with you on this one. Just this one! It was the town—” He stutters, voice breaking a bit. “I lost someone last year in that explosion, Al. It will kill me to just wait in the ship. I’m begging you…I know this place. It’s safer if we go together.”Alex doesn’t have the heart to disagree, especially when Miles is so upset. He didn’t know Miles’ insistent requests came from the fear of losing someone again in the same town. “Alright.” Alex nods. “Stay close to me all the time, okay?”Miles grins in relief.They and Zach split up, going to two different directions, aiming to search the town as fast as they can. As Miles warns, the town is soaked in pure darkness. They wear infrared tracking glasses in search of any survivors. Alex walks at the front and Miles at the back, with Explorers jammed in between. They both have the shield on and their fenders connect in the middle to cover everyone. Alex feels much calmer when their magic is constantly touching.A few minutes of silent walk and Alex realizes something is seriously wrong.“The attack should have stopped already, but all the buildings are still upright.” He recalls what’s on the SOS signal. Suddenly, he’s heart is trying to beat out of his throat. “Fuck, get back to the ship!”“Alex?” Although confused, Miles immediately takes the lead to turn back. All Explorers runs to follow him, and Alex puts more magic into the shield when they are all rushing back. His fender now completely covers Miles’ and is blanketing them all.“It’s a trap.” Alex explains breathlessly when he can see the light of the ship. “The town was never under attack of THE THING! It’s to lure us here and —”Gunshots and screaming finish his sentences. Alex shouts at everyone to hurry up. They reach the ship and all the Explorers jump in. Miles doesn’t. Of course. Alex runs toward the direction where Zach went, and Miles keeps close to his elbow all the way. Through the glasses they can now see people lying on the ground.Miles halts, kneeling at the closest figure he comes across. “He’s not breathing.” Miles says, standing up to catch Alex. “Al! We need to go back.”“Zach!” Alex ignores him and yells at the darkness. One of the figures turns to his voice and Alex can see a few figures around him. The other Explorers. “Go away Alex!” Zach shouts back and before Alex could reply, a blast in the air and Zach goes down.Alex screams. This can’t be happening. He tries to run further but Miles grabs him on the arms, holding him there. “Alex, listen to me, they have powerful weapons, your shied wouldn’t last for long—”Just as Miles is speaking, another shot and Alex is knocked back by the abnormally strong force. He couldn’t tell where the attack is coming from. Miles’ hand is still on him. The darkness swallows his facial expression. He stoops down as if he’s looking at Alex’ directly in the eyes. “You have to trust me on this, Alex.” Miles tells him. “Stay here.”Alex’s brain refuses to process what’s happening when Miles runs toward Zach. He struggles to stand up but another shot lands right beside his hand. It takes almost all his magical power to even defend himself. Alex realizes in despair: Miles’ shield is not going to hold under even one single shot.It's a miracle that all shots aiming at Miles narrowly miss the target. Alex finally manages to get back to his feet and Miles is already helping Zach up. They move painfully slow and for several times the bullets hit so close that Alex is going to be sick from worry. He runs towards them and pulls Zach’s other arm over his shoulder. Miles’ shield merges with his just as a shot hits them all on the back. They stagger forward for a few steps but luckily don’t fall over. “Hurry, Al!” Miles’ voice is strained. “I can’t heal him while holding up the fender.”They couldn’t save the others. The gunshots follow tightly behind and when they reach the ship, Alex is dizzy from holding up the shied for so long. They get in and immediately the door snaps shut behind them. Alex hastes to operate the ship. When they leave the ground, he nearly passes out due to relief and exhaustion.Zach. He remembers. Alex tears off his glasses and stumbles back into the cabin. Miles is kneeling beside Zach’s motionless body. He’s wearing a cloak, that’s probably the only thing that keeps his shoulder from being smashed. Blood covers his face and upper body. Miles is shaking violently, holding his hands over the most severe wounds. It’s not bleeding anymore, but the healed skin displays a terrifying shade of black. “How long it takes to get back?” He asks when Alex comes close. “At full speed.”“40 minutes.”Miles swears. His body wavers and Alex quickly holds onto his shoulders to steady him. “Al, the bullet itself is made with some sort of magic as well, I can’t remove it. I’ll keep Zach’s situation as stable as I could…but I don’t know for how many more minutes.”“No! No no…Miles, don’t say that. Just keep him alive, okay?” Alex realizes all the Explorers are watching them helplessly. It takes all his courage to act calmly right now. “Go to your usual positions. Contact Homme…let the Healers wait at the parking lot for us.”He can’t even think about the people they failed to take back. Alex takes off Miles’ glasses and he sees Miles’ eyes are filled with tears. “Should have taken a proper Healer instead of me.” He chokes back a sob. “I’m so sorry Al.”“Shhh, focus on the spell, alright?” Alex puts his hands over Miles’, transferring his own magic and letting Miles takes it for the healing spell. Their magics know each other and merge with zero effort. “We’d both been dead if I took a Healer with me.” He couldn’t even bear to look at his unconscious friend. “It’s not your fault, Miles. I should've known better.”“Nonsense. Nobody could have known it’s a trick, Al. If you found out even one minute later, Zach would be dead.” Miles leans on him. His eyes close tightly as if he’s in pain. “Promise me you won’t beat yourself up for this Al. Please?”Alex can’t find the strength to answer. +TBC+

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Chapter 10+ Alex wakes up to the familiar smell of the clinic yet again. He’s been in here more times during the last three months than in the past three years. His limbs feel like they are made of cotton and his head hurts. The light is threatening to blind him. Alex groans, struggling to keep his eyes shut. He vaguely remembers them getting back, people shouting and someone helping him up.“You had a serious overdraft, Alex.” He recognizes Alexa’s voice. “You’ve been out for a day.”Alex’s eyes blink open. He hauls himself out of bed. “How’s Zach? And where‘s Miles？”Alexa passes him a glass of healing medicine. “Miles woke up earlier and went to see Zach. He was not as burnt out as you. Zach’s still in the hospital. Ariella took out the bullet, but he lost loads of blood and it was pass the best rescue time…he might wake up soon. Alex, there’s not much that we can do now, sorry.”Her voice gets so low in the end that Alex has to hold his breath to make out the words. Alex feels numb. He drinks his meds and begins to climb down. “I’ll go see him.” He says quietly, stopping at the door. “The Explorers—”Alexa shushes him and waves him to go. “Don’t worry. Homme said he’d handle that.”Handle? Alex snarls. How?Alexa doesn’t have an answer for him. Nobody does.Alex receives way too much attention on his way to the hospital. It feel sticky. Zach is still in ICU and he’s only allowed to see him from outside the room. Ariella is in the unit alone. She walks out immediately after seeing Alex standing there, staring. “Alex!” She examines him with worry. “You need to rest some more.”“Is Zach going to be okay?” Alex blurts out. He feels so stupid asking, but he’s desperate right now. Ariella seems to be more positive than Alexa. She gives him a tired smile. “Zach is a strong man. Miles did pretty well on the emergency treatment. It may take some time, but his chance to full recovery is pretty high.”Alex lets out a shaky breath of relief. He’s still worried though. “Why is Zach still…unconscious?”“Honestly, we weren’t sure if he’s going to wake up or not yesterday. But now I think it’s probably only the effect of that magic bullet being too strong. It can last for a while. Lana is coming down to the hospital in a bit. They are concerned about the weapon that caused the wound. I’ll check on Zach again when I’m back and keep you updated, okay?” Ariella adds. “Miles was here a few minutes ago. I think he went out for a smoke.”Alex murmurs a thanks. He stays outside the unit for a while, looking at his friend. Zach’s body is covered by a huge monitor hanging on the side of the bed and he looks lifeless. Alex stays until he couldn’t bear the scene any longer.Right now, he needs to see with his own eyes that Miles is okay.The emergency exit at the back is on the ground floor, leading to a small greenhouse full of herbs. The door is slight ajar when Alex arrives. He can hear Miles’ voice coming from outside and he gladly pushes on the door, wanting to fetch him. However, what he hears makes his blood freeze and Alex’s brain seems to have jammed.“…no, he’s not dead. What were you thinking, Eva?” Miles keeps his voice low and he stands with his back to the door. His arms are up like he’s holding something in his hands. “It was so close! You could have shot me!”A deep, unfamiliar female voices sneers in the air. “I could have asked you the same question. You were supposed to lead all of them to the ambush.”“Oh, really? Two Wizards died on the missions and I somehow came back unharmed. How convincing.” Miles snaps back, his voice harsh. Alex has never heard him talking like that. He sounds so dark and cold. “I told you I need more time! You should wait for me sign.”When he turns a little to the side, Alex sees what he’s been holding. A small bluish light ball is glowing in his palms. A spell for long-distance communication. It’s advanced magic and Alex wouldn’t guess Miles could master it with such ease. Even his face looks unfamiliar under the cold light.The voice on the other side lowers and Alex can’t make out what she said. Miles’s body tightens at those words. “I know…I will.” He narrows his shoulders. It takes Alex a few seconds to recognize his own name. “I can’t talk to you any longer, Eva. Need to check on Turner, he should be awake by now.”“Right, go look for your puppet.” Eva answers. “Don’t disappoint us, Miles.”+Alex is vaguely aware that a pair of cold, soft hands on his neck and shoulder, patting him gently. They feel somewhat familiar.He couldn’t care less.Tears blur his vision. He’s choking and retching after throwing up everything in his stomach. If he can, he’d cough out his heart as well, just so it will stop hurting. Never in his worst nightmare had he dreamt about Miles being a spy. When they were arguing in the park and Miles was crying, stating that he loved him, Alex believed him so easily. He wanted to. Miles seemed so honest and true and that innocent, vulnerable look had Alex wrapped in his fingers. That Eva girl was so right: Alex was his bloody puppet from the very beginning.“…’s wrong, Alex?” It’s Taylor. Alex looks up and sees his own reflection in the mirror. He looks like he could be a washroom phantom.Taylor is still stroking his neck lightly, worried and scared. She’s right about Miles and Alex was mad at her. How could he be so blind?A broken sob sneaks out of him throat and Alex is crying hysterically. He wants to be angry, but instead he feels so weak and helpless and all he wants is to hide under the sink and die. All those people are dead, and Zach is in the ICU. It’s all on him: he trusted Miles Kane and his friends and colleagues have paid the price.Taylor panics. She holds Alex’s head in her arms and whispers comforting words, mistaken his breakdown as a reaction solely to Zach’s injury.In the mirror, Alex sees Miles coming into the washroom. He stops silently at the entrance when he spots them. Flashes of worry, jealousy and confusion flicker on his face when he watches Alex crying in Taylor’s arms. He’s such a good actor.Alex’s body goes rigid. For a split second, he’s going to crush Miles down on the floor with the evilest spell he knows. He’ll give Miles to the court and they’ll torture everything out of him.He doesn’t.Instead, he controls his facial expression and wipes his face with one hand. Taylor slowly helps him to stand up. She just notices Miles is here. “Thanks, Taylor.” Alex says in a small, gentle voice. “I’ll see you later?”She steps back reluctantly, giving him one more worrying look before leaving. Taylor doesn’t greet Miles, only a tight nod recognizing his existence when they walk pass each other. Miles approaches Alex cautiously. “Al?” His brows furrow with fake worry. “You—”“I came to see Zach.” He snaps. Miles is taken aback by his attitude. He also believes Alex is only upset for Zach’s injury. At the moment, it’s easy to make him think that way. “I was such a fucking idiot.”Miles tries to touch him, but Alex shakes off his hand. “Don’t.” He spits, and Miles dares to look hurt and confused. Alex can hardly hold back his sneer.“Al, I’m sorry I couldn’t do more.” Miles lies. He lies so convincingly, as if he really cares. “Zach will be alright. It’s not your fault—”“Whose fault it is then?” Alex tears his gaze away. He can’t bear to look at Miles’ in the eyes right now. Miles makes a chocking sound at his accusing question. He apologizes again. “I’m so sorry, Al.”Alex walks away. He hates himself for not being able to stand Miles’ coracoidal tears.+Alex doesn’t tell anyone. It’s not time yet.He is not the kind of people who seek for revenge, but he wants Miles to suffer just like he does. Alex can also play the role himself if Miles could do it so well. He’ll pretend nothing happened and he doesn’t know Miles is planning on something evil. Alex is going to figure out what his true intention is, destroy his lie slowly and gather enough clues that will lead them to catch those attackers.He needs a plan.Alex searches the guest room for the little box he has in there. How he liked his flat smells like Miles before, now he only feels sick about it. Every second in this place is pure torment and Alex signs in relief when he finally grabs what he wants.He takes out the ring and put it in his pocket.Alex stays the night in his room, although to him it’s the least appealing place on the Moon right now. Miles comes back only half an hour later. He hesitates in front of Alex’s room for a good minute. He doesn’t come in.Alex should feel relieved, for he doesn’t know if he can play it cool if Miles was going to share his bed. Besides, Miles must be able to tell something’s wrong if he spends a couple minutes more with Alex. He lies there alone, feeling dirty and used and so disgusted by himself. His chest burns, the pain so overwhelming and Alex is kept awake for the whole night. He writes a message to Matt and sets up the conditions to send, just in case. If he ever loses his receiver for more than a few hours, his teammates will know about Miles.He walks out of his room when it’s past 7 am. Alex finds Miles sitting in the settee with Mark curling up by his feet. They both startle awake when Alex closes the door, glancing up at a grumpy Alex warily. “Morning.” Alex forces himself to say. Miles smiles at him immediately, in a sweet way that he knows Alex loved the most.“Morning, Al.” He walks into the kitchen stiffly, apparently having spent the whole night in the living room. “Tea?”“Thanks.” Alex securitizes his every move when Miles makes them breakfast, despite knowing that it’s not like he’s going to poison Alex. Because a dead Wizard in his own flat will be too obvious.Miles senses his mood. He stays rather quiet, only casting a few glances when he doesn’t think Alex is looking. They walk to the BASE in silence. Homme is not expecting them to show up for today. He sends Alex on a patrol under his insistence. “I’m coming to this one alone, Sir.” Alex states. Homme shots him a surprised glance and Miles gasps behind him. “I don’t think Kane is qualified enough to be working on this task. I call for his removal.”Miles grabs him until they are in the parking lot. “What the fuck, Alex?” He yells. “I know you’re angry with me about Zach, but you can’t do this!”“In fact, I can.” Alex looks down at where Miles fingers are touching him. They feel so unreal. “I’m not in the mood to work while worrying about you, Miles. Go and do your trainings or walk Mark. Whatever you want.”“I want to be with you, Al!” Miles acts like Alex is unreasonable. “Why are you suddenly so—” He pauses, trying to find the word. Alex is amazed how Miles manages to behave so naturally. His eyes are glistening with well thought out emotions that still succeed to cause Alex pain. “Alex, please. Tell me what’s wrong.”His fingers caress Alex’s wrist and it’s the intimacy that finally breaks him. Rage and uncontrolled magic burst from his body and Alex snarls at him: “Get off me!”Miles trips back. His hand is bleeding.Dead silence fills the parking lot. Miles looks up at him unbelievingly, like he’s having difficulty processing what just happened. Alex curses himself under his breath. “God, Miles.” He drops down on his knees, fetching Miles’ bleeding hand and avoiding direct eye contacts. “Why didn’t you have the shield on?”“I’m with you, Al.” Miles blinks back his tears, utterly bewildered. “Why should I?”That’s the moment Alex has been waiting. “Sorry, Mi. I’m so sorry I hurt you.” He has a sour taste at the back of his throat when he speaks, but Alex manages to go on, finishing the show. “I was scared…can’t trust my own judgement right now. Zach is still in danger because of me. Miles, what if something happens to you—”Miles tugs him close and kisses him. For a moment, Alex forgets to hate on him and he signs into the comforting contact. When they part, Alex loathes himself so fucking much. He hates that everything he just said was basically true.“Not your fault, Al.” Miles shakes his head. He wipes his now healed hand on his jeans. “But don’t you ever leave me behind again.”Alex fumbles in his pocket. Instead of answering, he grabs out the ring and hands it to Miles. “Take this.” Alex mutters.Miles stares. He knows Alex has had the same ring on his little finger since he was a kid. “Al?” He asks in a small voice. “What are you doing?”“Isn’t it obvious? I’m giving you a ring, now put it on.” Alex lies. The pair of rings belong to his grandparents. They used to use them as a communication tool. There is a permanent spell on them: if one wears the ring while casting a spell, the other ring burns warmly and tells the other owner. It came in handy when they were fighting in the field, knowing each other was still alive.Alex doesn’t stay long enough to see Miles’ expression. It’s not going to be genuine anyway. He escapes in the ship. When the door closes fully behind him, he takes off his own ring and put it into the pocket of his jeans.He’ll know if Miles ever tries to contact his people again.+He comes back to the good news that Zach is awake.Alex doesn’t even bother to take off his cloak. He rushes to the hospital and Zach is transferred to a normal ward. When he comes in, Miles and Ariella are both by his side. Miles says something, and they are all laughing.Alex feels so fucking sick.He masks his uncomfortableness by hurrying to hug his friend. Zach’s arms are still weak, but he looks much better. Alive. “I told you Zach’s a tough guy!” Ariella pats Alex on the shoulder happily before leaving. “I need to have a look at others. Take care boys!”“I…eh, I’ll go for a smoke.” Miles says. He’s wearing the ring on his little fingers. He catches Alex’s gaze on it and his cheeks turn pink. “See you in a minute.”Zach notices Alex’s sunken mood when Miles leaves the room. “Did you guys have a fight about who should take the responsibility when I was out of it?” He smiles sadly. “Alex, I understand what you feel, believe me, I do. The Explorers were with me and I couldn’t save any of them.” He shrinks. Alex wants to argue, but Zach quickly stops him. “I feel bad, guilty. But I do know it’s not all my fault, Alex. Their death is on those attackers. We’ll investigate this case and find them.”“We will.” Alex promises. I will. He adds in his head. And he will pay for this.“Miles was here earlier, talking exactly like you would. It’s so funny. You two are like twins!” Zach mocks. Alex flinches slightly at this joke. He’s going to say something more when his ring becomes burning hot in his pocket. “Sorry, Zach. I need to go.” Alex jumps up. “I’ll be right back.”Miles is at the same spot, talking to the same person. This time he sounds more anxious, less composed. “…told you I can’t! Eva, who do you think I am? Turner is the Chief Wizard!”“You can’t, or you wouldn’t?” The voice asks, and Alex’s heart jumps up to his throat. He can’t help himself. He wants to know Miles’ answer.“Eva,” He says pleadingly. Now Alex is really confused. Could it be that Miles really care about him? “Leave him out of this. Turner has nothing to do with your plan—”“Our plan, Miles.” She scolds. “I also want the date of the Exchange Day, with the landing and launching times as well.”“How am I supposed to know the exact times?” Miles shakes his head in frustration, although she can’t see him. Another male voice comes in, jeering at his question. “I’m pretty sure that you know how to get the information. Chief Wizards have access to all info, don't they? What’s this Turner guy like, Miles? He seems to be fond of you. Use it then...I don't think you need me to teach you how.”Miles is visibly shaking. “Fuck you, Fox! I’m not doing something like that.”Alex is on the edge of passing out, if Miles hasn’t denied it so fiercely. So, Miles is not sleeping with him for information. Alex thinks. Then what? Is he doing it just for a laugh?“Your mum asks how you’re doing, by the way.” The male voice adds. Alex barely believes what he just heard: So his mum is alive, which means Miles lied to him about his family as well. “I’ll let you talk to her next time if you behave yourself, shut your hole and don’t ever talk back.”The new piece of information stirs Alex’s mind. The drawling silence is dreadful. Miles is clearly furious. He is half turned toward the door and his eyes are shiny. Alex’s heart clenches tightly. A million guesses flash through his head yet all he wants to do right now is to hug Miles and make him stop trembling.Miles grits through his teeth. “I apologize.”“Good boy,Miles. Now, I don’t care how you do it. Steal from him, or suck it out of him."A disgusting sneer."Get what we need and don’t interfere. That’s not what we send you there for. Next time I won’t hesitant to shot you head off. Surely Pauline wouldn’t want to see that.”The spell is cut off from the other side. Miles hastily draws back his hands. The light is gone and he lowers his head, defeated and tired. Miles bites on his lips, letting out a long breath and Alex misses him so much. He spends one a day secretly hating Miles and now it all seems like an overkill. Surely Miles has lots of secrets. That’s why he talks so strangely sometimes and acts so mysterious. He is in the Upper City for a reason. However, it doesn't mean he did guide Zach into the trap deliberately. At least not by choice when he's clearly threatened by that someone who planned this attack.“Alex? What are you doing over there?”He jumps at Ariella’s voice from the end of corridor, and Miles’ head jerks up at the sound. Their eyes meet through the gap of the door. Miles instantly looks so guilty and horrified.He turns around and runs.“Miles, wait!” Alex ignores Ariella’s call for him and pushes the door open, chasing after him. Miles kicks open the door of the greenhouse and he runs back towards the BASE. How ridiculous! Alex follows him, puzzled by his move. The BASE is filled with Wizards and it is the worst choice anyone could have made.Very soon, he realizes how wrong he was. Miles is not running for the main entrance. He aims at the side door to the empty parking lot.Alex curses loudly. Fortunately, when he pushes the door open, Miles is only a few meters ahead. “Miles!” He shouts, his magic catching Miles' legs. “Fuck, quit running!”Miles falls on his knees with a great thump. “Al,” He says breathlessly. “I—”“Why the fuck did you run?” Alex is panting like an old man. He's stung by Miles' reaction. “You don't have anything to say?”Miles is surprised by his words. “You want me to explain?” He asks in disbelief. “What did you hear?”“Almost everything.” Alex admits. He keeps his distance, but he’s not attacking Miles with any more spells. “I gave you the ring after I heard you the first time. It tells me if you ever use magic.”Miles’s eyes widen, expression hard to read. “No wonder you were acting so distant.” He laughs. It’s not a pleasant sound. “Why the fuck did you want to talk now? You clearly weren’t planning to when you first found out. You set me up!”“Says the one who lies all the fucking time! Those people were waiting in the town and you didn’t tell us. All those people were dead because of your one little lie!”Miles flinches, and Alex quickly feels so bad about his harsh words. That’s not what he meant to say, but all the frustration and hurt in his chest are seeking a way out.“…I didn’t know.” Miles looks up. He’s exactly like what he looked like the other day in the park. Completely devastated. Only this time he also seems so apologetic. The conversation he just heard replays in Alex’s head, and he’s so readily to believe Miles. He’s still angry at him for holding back something big. But he also knows him. There is no way Miles is a callous villain.“Tell me what you did know then.” Alex steps forward. “Who are those people that threatened you? Tell me Miles, I can help you.”“Fuck off, Alex. I don’t need you to pity me.” Miles retreats back, breathing fast. “Hand me to Homme already.”He must be the most difficult person Alex has ever come across. “If I want to, I’d do it the moment I found out.” He pushes, “Miles, I know you’re not like this.You are not evil. Who are those people? And why'd you work for them?”Miles doesn’t answer. He wheezes out a strangled noise and his face is getting red. Alex quickly realizes he’s not panting because of the running: He’s having difficulty breathing. “Damn, Miles, hold on a second.” Alex gets down to help him. He has an inhaler in his own pocket that he got a few weeks ago from Alexa, just in case Miles loses his. Alex’s fingertips just touch the inhaler when Miles hugs him tightly. “Mi—”Pure, intense pain, like swallowing down a burning charcoal. It’s more painful than anything he ever felt before and it’s building more and more in his abdomen. Alex lets out a howl of pain, but soon his throat stops working as well. He’s so sure he’s going to die from the excruciating pain. Someone is fiddling with his useless limbs and Miles’ blank face comes into his blurry view. “Alex,” He sighs, shaking his head slightly, like he knows something Alex doesn’t know (It’s true though).“Told you you’re too trusting.”+TBC+

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Chapter 11+
Alex remembered the first ever rescue mission he went on with Julian’s team. The ride to the lower city was far from pleasant because Valensi was unhappy that Julian took a kid with them on such a dangerous task. They were at a small village built inside an impact crater. Only a few street lights were still working when they arrived. The Explorer teams spread out to look for any survivors. Julian let him take the lead. Alex was to be 17 in a month. The endless sight of blood and body parts made him feel much older.
“Keep a shield up to cover yourself.” Julian reminded him when Alex approached the ruins. But he was young, unafraid and eager to save those who couldn’t protect themselves. There were a couple that’s caught under a huge plate of metal. They were about the same age as Alex's parents. Alex forgot his shield for a moment when he was pushing up the plate with a spell.

One of them shot him with a pistol.

Julian saw it coming. The bullet was melted before it hit Alex. Nonetheless, the impact reached him in a different way. Since then, Alex has never let down his guard even when sleeping. The magic around his body is like a second layer of skin. It takes Alex no time to build a fender for himself and the shell has protected him for years without fail.
So much for being one of the best Wizards who masters the most powerful defending spells. Alex laughs at himself. Miles drew him out of his shell so effortlessly and now look at where it gets him.The surroundings are getting clearer in front of his eyes. Alex finds himself on his usual seat in the ship, arms tied behind. The unbearable pain in his stomach has faded into a cold tingle. He can’t feel his legs.Alex tries to break the ropes. However, his wrists only burn as he pushes at the binding spell. “Don’t waste your strength.” Miles’ voice comes from somewhere behind him. Alex can barely recognize him anymore. “The ropes are soaked with paralyzer potion. It weakens your magic.”He makes a sarcastic, cheerful sound when Miles’ voice gets closer. “I learned from the best.”Miles walks over to the screen to check the route. Alex doesn’t know the place they are heading. It’s in the middle of nowhere, close to no big cities.“So, this is what you’ve been planning?” He sneers bitterly, giving up on the ropes.Miles glances over his shoulder at a livid Alex, his face expressionless. “You can say that, yeah.”“Don’t you think it’s too extra? What a waste of time, you had so many chances to just kill me.” His composure is driving Alex crazy. “What do you want?”Miles shrugs. “You.” He sits down on the floor, completely relaxed. “And I’ve got you here already.”He’s going to be the death of Alex. For sure.He needs calm down and think. Alex takes a few deep breaths in through the nose. It’s no time for fainting. He’d be useless if unconscious. His receiver is not in his pocket anymore. Miles puts it on the stand. The distance is long enough to trigger the spell. In that case, Matt will soon find out the truth. Also, the BASE monitors all sound signals from on board and it’s unlikely that Miles knows about this. For now, Alex just needs to keep him talking.A few minutes later, Alex has new questions for him. “Why did you save Zach?”“He’s not relevant.” Miles answers indifferently. “No need to draw extra attention.”Some parts of his motivation just don’t make sense to Alex. He was so sure that Miles did not come as a spy willingly, yet Miles just proved him wrong. “But they said you were supposed to kill us all. You didn't. Besides, I didn’t remember you saving Zach easily.”On the contrary, Miles kept the healing spell working for nearly an hour. He was in the clinic himself after that. Alex couldn’t think of any reason for him to try this hard. He could just let Zach die. It would be so simple.Miles studies his face. Suddenly, he rises to his feet and walks up to Alex, staring down at him with pity in his cold eyes. “Aren’t you so sweet, Alex, trying to find me a conscience? I appreciate it. I really do. But you see, I actually know the spell in that weapon very well, Al. I was just messing with you, because you looked funny when you were desperate.”That's not the answer he wanted. Alex flinches back when Miles touches his shoulders. “Fuck off!” He snaps, tears pricking behind his eyelids. “Don’t touch me.”“I didn’t give a fuck about him, or any of your people. It was never my interest anyway.” Miles continues with his back towards Alex. “You’re not so stupid, to be fair. A few times I felt like you’d figure it out. You came so close with the report thing, remember? That one I did send. I even told you the truth, though you didn’t believe me.”He thought whatever spell Miles used on him was the most painful thing he’d ever experienced. Now Alex knows he was WRONG. He finds it’s hard to concentrate (or breath) when his heart is being smashed into pieces. “You what?”“Your people are just easy to predict, I guess. I was only worried that your girl would mess up my job. She tried her best, but I was better.” Miles turns to face him again. He makes that innocent, hurt face, and then drops it together with Alex’s heart. Alex is lost completely. He forgets everything he should be doing right now. The last hope of Miles being innocent is shattered. “Why—”“To keep you close, of course. You’d be all alone, confused and scared. And I’d be there for you, just as I did.” Miles waves irksomely. “Fox asks for you, so I give you to him.”A dreadful thought occurs to Alex. “You knew the ring is a magic tool. You let me hear you talking to your boss deliberately. It was a show to make me believe you were forced.”Miles’ shoulders stiffen. He doesn’t deny.“They wanted the date of The Exchange Day...you asked me before about it. This bit was true.” Alex recalls painfully. “They have more people in the Upper City, don’t they? The town was not just a trap…it was a test. To see if the weapons can break the most durable fenders. They are going to attack the Upper City when every Wizard is at the west end.”“I suppose so.” Miles looks at him almost encouragingly. “Not so sure about the more-spies-in-town part though. I work as a loner.”Alex hates his smugly smile.“Fox and his man, they make weapons for people who want revenge. But all of a sudden, they want the best Wizard the Upper City has to offer. To be honest, I don't see how you can be useful for them. I don't know, as a display piece of a living weapon?"Alex trembles so hard when he hears those humiliating words."What’s so important about you, Alex? You’re nothing more than a magical prick, just like the rest of them.” Miles checks on the screen again. “More spoiled, maybe. You have a bloody dog at home, for fuck sake.”Alex hates him for talking about Mark like that.“I’m so fed up with your big talks. What you did barely helps what’s happening down there. Most of us still die like insects, but you’re enjoying the feeling of being a hero.”Alex hates the fact that Miles knows his every insecurity and fear and he knows how to use them to make Alex suffer.“What about you then? What a noble job you have here! Being a spy, a snake in the room.” Alex hates that his voice breaks and he’s on the verge of crying. He spits. “I bet you get paid well by your boss. Or do you just enjoy whoring yourself out for a piece of information?”It’s such a low blow, but right now that’s what Alex wants. For the first time, Miles is not looking scarily calm anymore. He is taken aback by Alex’s furious words, a flash of hurt in his eyes and for a moment it looks like he’s about to hit back.He doesn’t. Miles bites on his lower lip and walks away. His hands clench tightly on his sides.It’s only out of habit that Alex feels a sting in his own chest.+Alex’s receiver beeps.Surprisingly, Miles picks it up. It’s from Matt and he sounds SCARY. “You wouldn’t get away, Kane.” Said Matt with tightly gritted teeth. “The fleet is on the way.”“It’s not very nice to greet with a threat, Matt.” Miles mutters, frowning. He scrolls through the screen and finds out the doc that has been sent out. Miles looks at Alex knowingly. “Oh, that’s smart.”Alex glares back at him. He calls out Matt’s name, but Miles doesn’t let him finish.“Are you sure you get the destination correct? ‘Cause I’m worried that you may accidentally run to the opposite direction.” Miles says in a weirdly neutral tone. Matt lets out a rageful shout. “Okay, ok. I get it. You’re pretty sure where we are heading…the ship must be monitored, isn’t it? That’s why—” He cuts off the line, turning back to Alex. “You were so willing to chat before.”Miles is scary good for a spy.He finds the monitor control on screen within a minute. “You guys better hurry.” Miles says to the other side. Alex can’t tell if it’s to provoke or mock people at the BASE. “Good luck.”He shuts off the monitor. Alex instantly feels so alone in this confined room.Now Miles knows he sent Matt a sign. What will Miles do? Hurt him more with another spell? Alex is not afraid of him, at least. What is he supposed to feel when finding out someone he loved so dearly was a well-designed illusion? “There is one thing that I don’t understand.” Says Alex. Now that he has done what he could, sending the message out, there is no need to play cool. “How do you fake the magic bond?”“I didn’t. That's just pure luck.” Miles doesn’t leave the screen at first. He pulls up the route again and checks the time, cursing quietly. His somewhat aggressive posture, which he has on since the moment Alex woke up, abruptly vanishes into thin air and Miles rubs his face, letting out a long breath in relief. “Fuck, finally! I really hope they get the location right.”After only a split second, Alex can suddenly see the Miles he used to know. With a worried, guilty face on, he runs over to Alex and is quickly getting rid of the ropes that ties Alex on the chair. Alex snaps suspiciously: “What the fuck are you doing?”“Letting you off the hook, Sir.” Miles murmurs. He sounds so nervous and his fingers are not at all working efficiently. “Listen Al, I know you won’t believe me right now, but I’m sorry about what I just said. All of them.”He kneels down to untie the ropes that’s on Alex’s legs. “There’s going to be an attack on the ship very soon and I want you to open the shield until we land, okay?”His hands land on Alex’s hips, the same hands that brought him immense pain. Alex recoils at his touch uncontrollably and Miles flinches himself, murmuring out another apology. A warm feeling spreads in his lower body. Alex can move his legs again. Miles draws his hands back, sitting on his heels and looking back up at Alex. His eyes are warm-looking, the way Alex used to love. His lips curls into an apologetic smile. It's his sudden tenderness that pushes Alex over the line. Alex can't believe a single word that’s coming out of his mouth. The pain, the humiliation and the anger turn into pure hatred, replacing the numbness he has been feeling.What a familiar scene. Alex thinks to himself. He’s not falling for the same trick again.Alex forces a smile back at Miles. His arms are still tied behind his back, but there’re so many ways to hurt someone without magic.Everything happens at that exact moment.Alex kicks Miles on the chest with all his strength. Miles falls over with a surprised scream, curling up to himself. He still has no shield on around Alex, the arrogant bastard. Alex jumps up from his seat and tries again to break the binding. The magic potion on the ropes makes his effort fruitless and Alex lets out a frustrated cry. He kicks Miles again when he tries to get up, and this time Miles only makes a low muffled sound when getting down.“Believe you? You must think I’m so dumb.” Alex shouts at him, sneering. He knows Miles could heal himself within seconds. He should be worried. But nothing can hurt Alex more when he has his heart broken already. “You liar—”His words are swallowed by deafening sound of explosion. The ship sways and shakes like crazy, the floor tilting. Alex loses his balance and falls backward into his seat for a second, and the next moment he’s flung out.Miles is thrown on the wall as well. He struggles to catch Alex while Alex tries to move away. It’s impossible to stay upright when the ship loses control completely after another hit. The screen explodes and bursts on fire, pieces of glasses flying everywhere. Miles curses when Alex slips and is thrown to the burning screen. A soft touch of magic catches him just when he’s about to be made into baked goods, pushing Alex up. Before he could react, Miles takes him into his arms. The position gives Alex ghosty pain in his stomach and he struggles instinctively. “Let go off me!”“Don’t—Al, please!” Miles chokes out. His voice barely audible when the lights above their heads explodes as well. A final attack hits the ship, and the next thing he knows, the world is a spinning smoky burning hole.+“...go help him.”A pair of strong hands haul him up from the ground. Alex blinks a few times and a pale young woman stares back at him. Her hair is a light shade of gold, pulled up into a messy bun, and she’s got a quite unhappy face on. The one who holds him up is a tall black guy with semi-long curly hair and a dead serious expression. They are in the middle of nowhere, bare rocks extending to all directions. The remaining bits of the ship are burning not too far away, offering the light.The tall guy urges Alex to move forward, approaching the last unfamiliar figure that kneels beside a gasping Miles. Shielding them both from the explosion was far beyond his magical power. Miles’ arms are covered in small burnt wounds and so is his neck.“Fuck, the air stinks.” Miles complains weakly to the short blonde man.“Get used to it, you spoiled brat.” The guy answers. It’s obvious that they’ve known each other for a long time. Miles raises his head, not bothering for a smartass reply. He looks for Alex, and Alex pours everything he’s got into his deadly glare. He’s boiling with confusion and rage. Every part of him only still functions because of the hatred he holds for Miles’ betrayal.“What the fuck is this?” He hears himself snarling, demanding one last time for an explanation he doesn’t really want to know. Miles opens his mouth to answer but stops to cough instead. He looks so pale and even his lips lose all the colour: those lips Alex has taste many times by now. Those lips that make up one story after another. Alex never resents someone more than he hates Miles at this moment. He wants to scream.Miles reads him, like always, and he has the guts to just ignore Alex’s question. “We have to move before Fox finds us.” He says to the girl. “I can—"A wracking cough interrupts him. Alex’s heart squeeze painfully despite everything, making him hate Miles even more.“He broke a few ribs I think.” The girl kneels down as well, but the guy that’s holding Alex just shakes his head. “He’s had worse. Come on, Nathan! Carry Miles, and Vic you can go start the car.”The whole time Miles is coughing violently. When he finally finds his breath, there’s blood at the corner of his mouth.“Miles!” Alex struggles to get free, can’t help but want to get closer. The yell leaves his mouth before he even knows it, but then an idea strikes him. He’s not letting his only opportunity slide away. “Get the ropes off me and let me help him.”“We’re not stupid, just so you know.” Nathan puts a hand on Miles shoulder. Protectively. How ironic. “Don’t worry Mister, he heals in no time.” He says confidently, showing off that he knows Miles well. Alex feel nauseous with anger.“Right now his energy is too low and you can’t just move him like that. Let me—”“You’re going to save him? Who are you, some Saint?” The tall guy spits, gripping him even tighter. “Victoria, the car.”“Wait! I’ve got an inhaler in me pocket.” Alex bites out each word, his voice shaking. “At least give it to him.”The girl, Victoria, looks up at him suspiciously. But she finds the inhaler Alex carries around all the time with no effort. The fact that he has it is in his pocket is so ironic that Alex can barely hold back a stinging laugh. Miles recovers finally. He pushes at Nathan’s hand, trying to sit up. “It’s okay. Dom, let Al go.”“Man, are you crazy?” Dom asks in disbelief. But clearly Miles is in charge of this mysterious gang, because Dom tugs at the ropes on Alex’s arms and quickly unties them.The moment he regains his freedom, Alex launches himself at Miles. The outburst of magic has everyone else knocked over and pinned on the ground. He doesn’t care a cent for the swear they are shouting at him. Alex grabs at Miles neck. His pulse fast and weak in Alex’ trembling hands.“Why?” He sounds more pathetic than intimidating. “I trusted you with everything, Miles. I LOVED YOU! And Taylor was right, all this fucking time you are just using me!”Miles doesn’t look away. He tries: “Al...”“Don’t.” Alex flinches, the pressure his hands are inflicting increases as he sees red. “You don’t get to call me that.”Miles coughs again, struggling to take in some air. He could be faking it. Alex thinks to himself. This man surely knows how to act.But Miles closes his eyes. When he opens them again, his eyes are tender, filled with sorrow and guilt. “Sorry Alex.” He whispers in a raspy voice. “I have to.”“You’re killing him!” Vic’s voice reaches his ears. “Just stop! Stop - ““Bullshit.” Alex sneers. “You had a choice and you chose to trick me into this.”Miles lifts his hand. For a second Alex thought he’s going to fight for his life, but all Miles does is touching his wrist. He’s looking at Alex as he did when they first met, like he feels sorry for him but at the same time adores him dearly. Miles gently strokes the red paint left by the ropes on Alex’s skin, and what he does is nothing Alex was expecting.Miles takes away the strangulation marks with a spark of magic.The effort has him shudder, face puckered with pain. Miles’ fingers slip away as he shuts his eyes again.And this time, they stay closed.+TBC+

----- CHAPTER BREAK -----

Chapter 12+
His sensible mind tries to remind him that Miles lies all the time about everything. Alex is oblivious of who he really is or what he’s in it for. The Miles he knew was something Miles created to make Alex fall for him.However, at the same time his mind is riddled with the fake tales they shared, the good old times. All his rage and hate are effortlessly twisted into the fear that Miles is going to DIE. He looks down at his now unscathed wrists. They are not bound anymore, yet the invisible strings are still there: Miles holds them in his hands, making Alex dance for him.It must have something to do with the magic bond, with them being soulmates, if that’s even real. As far as Alex knows, there is no possible way to fake a bond as special as that. Or was it all in his head? Did Miles just pretend to feel the same when Alex first brought it up so that he could become Alex’s soft spot?There is one simple way to know, for magicians lie but magic tells the truth.Alex remembers vividly the first few times when Miles’ magic touched his own, when Miles was still short on knowledge of spells. His raw, untrained magic wandered inside Alex’s body and it was gentle and loving with not even a bit venom.
Miles could only act it out when he’s acutely aware.
Alex really shouldn’t do it. But just like everything else that’s related to Miles fucking Kane. He can’t think straight. He wants to know so bad.Alex lets his magic seeps into Miles' still body and suddenly there is this warm tender feeling he knows too well travelling under his skin. Alex is horrible at healing spells, but thankfully Miles’ magic is so easy to merge with Alex’s. Even with Miles being unconscious, his body knows what to do.The bond is real. Alex thinks bitterly. Being toyed by your soulmate. Not humiliating at all.Miles’ head snaps to the side. He inhales sharply and is coughing out blood again. Alex can’t help but wipe away the horrifying red blots on Miles’ chin with his thumb. “Take it easy.” He instructs, voice softening despite himself. “Can you manage a healing spell now? On yourself?”Miles nods. He’s leaning into Alex hands subconsciously and Alex’s heart aches for how absurd the scene is. One of Alex’s hand is still around his neck, yet Miles is compliant under him, seemingly aching for Alex’ touch even if it’s a threat to take his life. He’s either extremely stupid or completely mad.He keeps transferring his magic to Miles. Alex can feel the spell working. “Thanks, Al…Alex.” Miles blinks a few times when he’s fully restored, but quickly his smile dies out. He corrects himself, murmuring Alex name in full length, followed by an apology.“You owe me an explanation.” Anyone in his right mind would not be this easy. But here he is. He really is fucked in the head. Alex releases him. “A fucking good one.”Miles is as surprised. There’s hesitance in his smile, and he almost looks sheepish. “Yeah, of course…whatever you said.”“If you want to stay and play house at least spare us for the greasy part?” Dom moans loudly.“Oi! Shut up.” Miles blushes (what a rare scene) and pushes Alex away to get up. The moment he reaches up, Alex recoils from him, staggering to step back. Miles is not impressed by his new cautiousness. He looks like he wants to say something, but end up swallowing it back, hiding his expression under his messy hair. Some damages have been done by the fire. He grabs at the burnt ends of his bangs, while quickly saying: “Alex, we really need to move now. I’ll tell you everything when we are safe.”Alex hasn’t released the restraints on the other three. Miles glances back at him pleadingly, but Alex has to be sure. “How do I know you’re not leading me to your boss?”At the mention of the man named Fox, Miles’ whole body tightens. He hisses spitefully: “Don’t worry. I’ve already sent a whole fleet to him.”“The target destination you set was his place?” Alex asks suspiciously. He’s confused as fuck and still debating on whether or not to believe Miles’ words at all. “I don’t understand.”“Because he’s a psychopath and total dickhead but Miles happens to be a little daredevil. For fuck sake, why can’t you save the love talk for later?” Nathan interrupts them. “Eva can’t distract him for that long. If we get caught talking to a not very dead you, this is going to be so much fun.”“Nathan, don’t.” Miles shuts him up with a tired wave. “Alex, if I was to give you to him, I’d drive the ship right back. We’ll go to a camp nearby first and get off. I’ll answer all you questions when we get there, promise.”Alex lets go of them warily, still keeping his shield full on. He catches the subtext. “Where are you heading after that?”For a moment, Miles looks almost sad. He smiles: “To where it all began.”+It’s only a 20-minute drive.Victoria is the driver of the mini-ship which does look like a 3-row car. It’s the ancient type, what people used to have when they first moved to the Moon. They made lots of mini-ships to look like vehicles on Earth.Alex sits in the back with a very uncomfortable-looking Miles by his side. Surprisingly, Miles is the only magic user in his gang, therefore only he knows that Alex is wasting his magic on a soft shell which pretty much fills every single spot inside the van. He could easily have anyone under control within a blink.“How did you bring down the ship?” He asks after the first light appears on the horizon.Miles rubs his arm. “I…I shut down its magic plating when we left the BASE. The ship itself is quite delicate without the shield.”Alex snorts. Of course he had everything planned.“I’m Victoria, by the way.” The suffocating air in the van is disturbed when she suddenly speaks calmly. “Who are you, Alex?”He’s not prepared for a real conversation. Miles answers this one while looking back at the rear glass nervously. “Alex is the current Chief Wizard of the Upper City.”“Hey, I know you! You’re the miracle guy who saved the crappy town from been razed to the ground. It was two—two and a half years ago?” Dom heaves his head from behind the seat, looking completely stunned. “Damn, you look so young!”“Dom, come on.” Miles mutters. Before Alex could reply, Nathan’s head appears as well. He’s glaring at Miles and Alex, looking so freaked out. “Are you friends?”“NO.” Alex instantly denies, leaning back a little. He glances at Miles, who just turns his head away and doesn’t argue. He ignores him, putting his attention back at those two.“Well,” Dom explains. “When Eva said Miles’d abducted a Wizard, he didn’t say it was the Chief.”Alex is speechless. Miles’ friends have heard about him. There’s no way Miles didn’t know about him when he first learned Alex's the Chief Wizard. A new wave of anger hits him. Alex has to force himself to stay calm. “You really have been planning this all along.”“Alex, I—”“We’re here.” Victoria announces. The van comes to a full stop and nobody talks again. They are under the light they saw a few minutes before. It’s a lonely road lamp near a crater.“You guys should go back to the site.” Miles immediately says, stopping Alex from asking more question. When he feels Alex’s magic starting to jam the door, Miles pleas, finally looking at him for the first times since they got inside the vehicle. “Please, Alex. They don’t know anything. Fox will kill them if they stay any longer—”“We don’t even work directly for Fox. As you can see, we are no magic users.” Victoria is grabbing the handle tightly. She is the only one who seems pretty cool with the situation, even smirking a bit.Miles shots them a look. They all stop moving. “It’s all me. I only asked them for help because I needed to lead your people to Fox without actually going back myself.”“You shut down the monitor. They wouldn't even know where you could go. There’s no need to destroy the ship.” Alex snarls. “I’m not that stupid.”Miles closes his eyes briefly, taking a deep breath. There’s still dirt and blood on his face.He admits: “It’s also to fake my death.”+The secret camp built in the crater is only a dark empty cave. They take in the lamp, which becomes the only source of light here when they get off the car.“Did Eva choose this place?” Miles asks. He looks worried and anxious. “It’s so close to the site. I don’t thin—”“It’s on the opposite direction to the closest city. A mini-ship is at the back waiting for you, Miles.” Victoria says, checking the screen for time. “We must go. If any of his men finds the site before us, he’ll suspect something for sure.”They leave without any more words. Alex figures out that Miles somehow contacted Eva and she sent his friends to bring him here. According to Miles, Fox always double checks to make sure everything is done perfectly. “Eva gave the exact route to Victoria before she went to find Fox and tell him I stole a ship to get back. I know Fox’s going to send tons of people out, trying to shoot down the ship before I lead more to his door. If they get back in time, they can just pretend they got the job done and let Fox know I’m super dead.” Miles gave a wary look at the entrance of the cave, lowering his voice even more. “I cut off the monitor before the attack. Your people are at least 2 hours behind, so they won’t see the explosion, and they thought I’d take you to Fox…they will be at his face before he even knows.”“Why are you doing this?” Alex asks skeptically. They are only at the first turning of the cave and he doesn’t want to come in any further before he’s sure it’s not a trap. The lamp sits between them silently.“Alex, can we move ins—”“You can do better than this, Miles.” His hesitance annoys Alex to death. What there is to hide when they’ve come to this?Miles looks down. He seems so pathetic when he leans on the wall of the cave and tries to fold himself into a small crack between two bulgy rocks. “I was sent to the Upper City on purpose. This was for information and also to open the gate and let them in. You were right, the plan was to do it on The Exchange Day. Most Wizards will be at the west end. Fox wants a blood bath in the Upper City. He has recruited many…volunteers for that purpose.” He pauses. “He sent me because I was not doing very good down there. I messed up my job a lot, so it was a punishment in the beginning.”“What’s your job exactly?” Alex can’t help but ask. Miles’s fingers clenches so hard that he must be hurting himself a lot. “I was…a lure.” His voice is almost not audible. “That’s what Fox used to do. After THE THING attacked, he’d let his men coming to the site…one or two magic users but mostly common people. Then there were ones like me. Your people would search for survivors and …” His voice cracks. “You know what happened.”It takes Alex a long time to even process what that means.Alex feels nauseous, light-headed and for the first time he feels disgusted when looking at Miles. He worked for a mad man. Miles worked for him as a bait to attract Explorers and Wizards to where the haters were lurking slyly in the shadows and he watched them being killed. He made it happen.When Alex comes around, the air around him is boiling and he’s shaking with anger. “You told me you had never—” He feels like crying for no reason. “You fucking liar!”Miles continues as if he doesn’t hear Alex at all. “Fox offered protection for me mum. I didn’t know back then that he was to train me to kill people. I tried to escape once I realized what he wanted, but the town we used to live had been destroyed by THE THING already. Fox caught me making plans and he killed my aunt right in front of me…as a punishment. I was not allowed to learn magic. Fox thought it was too dangerous when I didn’t come so willingly. Fox wanted me to go and work as a lure. I had to, you know? I couldn’t let him kill me mum as well.”He sounds so calm. So unconcerned. As if he’s talking about some else’s story.“I was selfish, Alex. I made the choice.”+
Miles remembered little about his childhood before they moved to that capital city of this chaotic lunar base. His mother was a technician who kept the plants alive in the greenhouses in their town. Miles had heard about the monster in the dark. His cousins were taken by it before his aunt and his mum moved here. But no one from his town had actually seen it. He went to the only “school” in town with several other kids. It was the garage owned by one of their teachers. They would have music lessons if the electricity was not running low. That was always Miles’ favorite. He was never so worried about food. The only danger was the mysterious monster that everyone was so scared of.
It was when he was allowed to go to the city with his mom. They were to trade for some supplies. The main cities were protected by magic fenders and he knew about the magical people living in the sky who built them. They were just like the mysterious monster to him: they only existed in bed
time stories.

The cities were not welcoming at all. So many people wanted to stay in cities rather than one of the unprotected camps or small towns. He used to be asked to stay at home with his aunt whenever his mom came for medicine and special batteries charged with magic. They had a little shield in their home. It was more of a comfort than a real life-saver.

Food was one thing people in the cities would trade for. The guy who was their medicine supplier back then, Miles didn’t get to know his name, was a skinny man in his mid-thirties. He refused to do the normal trade after Pauline handed him the food. “I’d like to have some bonus.” He suggested in a disgustingly obvious way that even Miles understood it immediately.

He was only 14 and his mom was the strongest woman he knew. But he saw her face turning red and then paper white. She held his hand very tightly. His aunt was sick. They needed the medicine. The guy sensed his chance of winning was pretty high. He approached them with such a loathly smirk, waving to drive Miles away.

Miles didn’t. He jumped at this man without a second thought. When Miles finally heard his mom yelling his name, all glasses in the room had been shattered into pieces and the supplier was unconscious on the floor. His nose bleeding. Miles had no idea what just happened. His mum hugged him and lifted him from the ground, trying to leave before anyone came.

Too late. There were applauses from the door.

That’s the first mistake he made. Fox was there, asking for his name. He was dressed in a neat suit and seemed so confident and kind. Miles stopped even when his mom was trying to drag him away. “You are a Potentia, my boy! The best I’ve seen for years." Fox was looking at him in a dangerous way that Miles couldn’t quite understand then. “I have a say in this city. You’re so welcome to stay and learn! You have so much to learn, Miles.”

At first it seemed a wonderful dream. They moved to the capital city where the fender was maintained by the Wizards of the Upper City. Fox didn’t live here himself, but he owned a lot of buildings. Pauline was worried at first, for nothing came without a price. But Miles was too naïve to say no: he wanted his family to be safe. Fox offered them a flat in the city and constant food supplies for his mum and aunt. His mum even got a job in the city farm. The flat was located in the safest area in the city, for no one dared to come here and make a scene when most buildings were owned by Fox.

Miles went to school. It was much bigger than the one they had in the town. He and a few other kids who also had magic powers had special lessons in Fox’s factory three times a week. They didn't learn proper spells or anything, for those who were knowledgeable magic users all went to the Upper City years ago. The first thing they learned was to concentrate the power into a releasable pulse.

Fox was right. Miles could hit the targets perfectly within two months. He was called to his office at the end of the second months. Eva was there as well. That was their first meeting. Fox sat in his armchair with a small puppy on his knees. He stroked him lightly.

“Come here, Miles.” He asked. Miles came forward and the baby dog barks at him playfully, wagging its tail happily. “I want to see your progress.”

He was so confused when Fox handed him the puppy. Miles hugged him tightly and the little thing started licking his face. “What do you want me to do, Mr.?”

Fox smiled at him. “Kill it.”

His heart stopped for a second. “What?” Miles stepped back with the puppy in his arms. “NO!”

“You kill it with your magic, or I let Eva here kill you. Your choice, Miles.” Fox was still smiling. His expression kind but cold. Miles wanted to run, but the door was locked, and she was looking at him sullenly.

Miles shook his head. He’s about to cry.

“Let me think...what time do your mum and aunt get off work, Miles?” Fox asks cheerfully. And Miles broke down under his unyielding stare. “Why?” He cried. He could feel the puppy was warm against his chest.

“Blame it on them, Miles. We don’t even have enough resources to feed the people here. Dogs are useless. It’s their fault that it has to die. The people in the sky.” There was expectation in his eyes, when Fox leaning slightly forward. “Now, boy. Show me how good you are.”

Eva took Miles back home that day. She was not even 20 at that time. A talented magic user. Fox’s favorite. Miles was crying all the way in the car and she was silent. “You don’t have to go to the lessons anymore. I’ll teach you from now on. Every day after school we meet at the gate. Clear?”

“I don’t want to learn it.” Miles hiccupped. He was scared, confused and also ashamed of himself.

“I know, kid.” She answered calmly. “But it doesn’t matter.”

Miles tried his best not to learn shit during her classes. After a month, Eva realized Miles was deliberately messing up his practice. The only thing he actually tried to learn was to make a protecting shield. She walked him back to his flat after their training. “Your town was under attack last week.” Eva stated. It was always hard to tell what she was thinking. “You have no place to go back to, Miles.”

He came back to her the next day. “I don’t want to learn it.” Miles repeated his words. It was in one of the empty classrooms at school and he said it loud and clear. Another mistake. “I’ll figure out a way to leave this city.”

For the first time, Eva looked horrified. She jumped up from her seat and between her palms her magic sparked. She was all of a sudden near him. She opened her mouth, but no sound came out. She was sad for him. Miles learned out why once he came back home and his aunt was not there preparing dinner with his mum. Instead, Fox sat in the small living room, drinking tea. “…this sudden? Oh my…” Pauline’s voice reached his ear and she was crying. Miles saw red. He rushed into the living room, thinking he had hurt her. But his mum was only sad because he told her that his aunt was sick during the shift and was sent to hospital. Her health condition was always problematic, and Pauline wanted to see her.

“It would be too dangerous for you, Madam.” Fox looked at Miles with a fake smile now he could recognize easily. “I’ll take Miles out for a walk, if you don’t mind.”

He took Miles back to where he had his aunt. The house was isolated in the heart of city. She was tied to a chair, confused and frightened. “You were saying you wanted to leave, Miles. Why? You were happy here. Safe.” His grip on Miles’ shoulder felt like death. “I was so disappointed. You did something bad and hurt my feelings. I had to punish you, so you’d remember not to ever do it again.”

He shot her with a gun. A normal gun. No magic involved.

Eva was right behind them. She had Miles under control the moment he burst into tears. His magic exploded and even with Eva holding him back, some effect reached Fox and he was pushed over the side, almost tripped on his own feet. Some of his men came close to help him and Fox pushed them away angrily. “Bloody oafs! Eva, he’s a fucking kid! What were you doing? You want to take a bullet as well?” Fox cursed in rage. Eva didn’t say anything. “You’ll learn your lesson, Miles.” He spat into the pool of blood.

He was not allowed to learn magic anymore. Fox sent him to work in the factory. Miles soon learned it was not a better option at all after Fox asked him to also work as a lure when he was not busy making weapons. “No.” Miles refused to go as Fox asked him to join one of the teams. “Why are you doing this? Those people are here to help us!”

“No one needs their help if they haven’t abandoned us. Are you really that stupid, Miles? Look at your city. Look at those people dying on the streets. They kill for a pack of cigarette and canned beans.” When Miles stayed quiet, Fox stopped smiling. He was challenged. “Alright, you don’t want to go, then I’ll let you do something else.”

Fox had Eva take him to the outer circle. Miles was left there until he was 18. He didn’t dare to come back to the city center. He would sneak to the greenhouses every so often just to make sure his mum was okay. She must think he was dead, for she looked like a walking corpse now. The soft expression on her face was gone completely.

Unwanted people filled up the outer circle of the city. They lived too close to the fender, the air was poisonous and every other month there would be deaths caused by THE THING. It couldn’t compare with the deaths caused by fighting, robbing and murdering. Most people here didn’t get a job and they had no other way to survive. Miles worked here for Fox as a carrier. The job was to put corpses in the cars and dumped them outside in a crater. THE THING came regularly to feed on them.

There were other things carriers had to do. They delivered weapons to other cities, camps and small towns. They drove the assassins and lures to the sites where they murdered people. They were no magic users. Expendable. Miles met Victoria, Dom and Nathan during his years in the outer circle. He thought he’d end up dying here.

That would be better than what actually happened. 
 +TBC+

----- CHAPTER BREAK -----

Chapter 13+
It was one mistake after another. Miles knew who was to blame: he made his own choice. There was no going back.
Fox came to the outer circle when Miles was on a day-off. He got into a fight in a bar because the owner saw him kissing the bartender at the backdoor. “Haven’t you sinned enough!” The owner drew out a gun and shoot at them. It was like he simply went mental. Miles dragged the other boy towards himself and shielded him with his own body instinctively. He could make a half-wit shield still. “You’re sacked!” The owner wasted all his bullets and shouted at the boy. Miles couldn’t even recall his name. “Go to hell and die!”

He was crying. Miles didn’t know what to do. “I won’t let you die, babe.” He remembered himself making some unrealistic promises. “Come to my place.”

Fox was waiting at his cell for him. Miles never expected to see him here.

“Looks like you’ve got yourself all settled.” Fox flashed him a fake smile, looking at the other boy behind him. “Who’s this little angle over there?”

Miles didn’t answer. He didn’t answer when Fox mentioned with a pretended lightness that he had let Pauline know Miles was not dead. He offered Miles the job again: be a fucking lure and trick people to death. “You’d make a wonderful bait, Miles. Look at you, all innocent-looking.”

“I can do it!” The boy behind him yelled. Miles could still hear it years after, a hopeful voice drenched in venom. Miles couldn’t believe his own ears. “Why not? I hate them. All of them! They left my sister and my parents to die when they could have saved them—I begged them again and again, but they said it was too dangerous for them to go near our home! The monster’s too strong...”

Maybe he was wrong. Maybe he was the crazy one and everybody else was right about it. Why did they have to stay in this living hell and die like insects when the Upper City was bright 24/7 like an undying star?

“Why me?” Miles asked him. Fox was studying him with a twisted, satisfied look on his face. “Shhh…Miles. Come here.”

Fox patted his shoulder. Miles recoiled like he was burnt. He hated the man so much that he was even thinking about attacking him right there. He was not with his men, only himself. Miles was a magic user. A terrible one, but he still could—

“Your mum has lived a peaceful life, Miles. Now the price is higher. You pay for it by doing a better job and I’ll let her have some more time.” Fox knew what he was thinking. “Come to Eva tomorrow.”

And Fox was right again. Miles was good at his new job. He became numb after only a few months, acting like he was going to the market to buy his mum some spring onions when he was heading to the sites to help with murder. He didn’t talk to the boy anymore. He didn’t talk to any other lures, magic users or “volunteers”. He came back telling Pauline he was doing extra shifts in the factory. She knew he was lying. She didn’t even ask him where he had been for the past three years when Miles first came back knocking on her door. Miles hugged her tightly for hours and cried until he was on the verge of passing out, not a single cohesive sentence out of his mouth.

Miles was good at it because he didn’t play his role out of nothing. Fox had his men broke his bones or cut him open when he wanted it to be convincing: Miles always healed ten times faster than some normal people. He’d be reusable pretty soon no matter what Fox did.

Still, Miles was not the most cooperative worker. He waited too long to make the Explorers to notice him, or he waited until the least people were around. The first and only time he messed up his job severely, it was with Eva on his side. She seldom worked outside the factory. Fox needed her to protect him. That was a special case: the damage was pretty bad this time and three ships were sent out. Fox wanted a Healer, some special kind of Wizards, and he wanted one that was alive.

The Healer was so fucking young. She was like a flower in the field: petite and beautiful and simply shouldn’t be here. When she found Miles curling beside a ruined house, half-conscious, she forgot to call out the Explorers and Wizards first. The second her fingers touched Miles’ skin, he was amazed by how gentle the magic felt. How kind and pure.

He felt EVIL.

“Go away!” The words escaped him before he knew what he was saying. “It was a trap! Go—”

Eva shot her right through the chest. She did it a few times until the Healer was not moving anymore, and she dragged a screaming Miles up. “Shut your mouth if you don’t want to die by her side.”

“I do!” Miles shouted back. He shook her hand off and stepped back, crying like there was no tomorrow. “Just fucking kill me!”

“What’s the use if you die like this?” Eva snapped under her breath. Miles was not listening to her then. It took him some more time to find out she was not as loyal to Fox as she seemed to be. She forced him back to the ship before the Wizards came. Miles was drenched in her blood. He was like that when he was thrown into Fox’s office.

Fox was livid. “I have no use for you, Miles.”

He was waiting for his death. However, Fox told him he would be sending Pauline to the outer circle. “She’ll go and she’ll go alone. You won’t be seeing her anytime soon.”

“NO!” The outer circle was no place for his mum to survive. Miles blinked back his tears. He was soaked in blood already. How could it get any worse than this? “I’ll make it up to you. I promise! Please don’t—”

“You’re no good as even a bait, Miles. You have worked the job for years! Even those who’re in it for a day wouldn’t make such a mistake. You dared to betray me, again. I should know there was something wrong with you, Miles.” He sneered. “You are just hopeless.”

“Well, you’re not doing your thing so efficiently anyway!” Miles shouted at him. His magic burst and destroyed all the windows at once. “Why are you making people do such things? What do you want? Revenge? If you hate them that much why don’t you get the fuck up in the Upper City and tell them yourself!”

Fox stood up. He was shielded by Eva standing in front of him. She looked surprised and almost frustrated at Miles’ outburst.

“You little shit. I’m so going to—” Suddenly he was quiet. He was quiet for a long time.

“Oh, Miles, my boy!”

Fox burst into laughter. The sound had Miles’ blood frozen. “In fact, you ARE useful. Why didn’t I think of it before?”

He pushed Eva to the side, facing Miles with the screwy, child-like excited look. “You’re no bait anymore, Miles. You shall work for me as a spy.”
+“…a two-month preparation. I was not really learning any magic. He let Eva teach me the communication spell after he decided I was too shitty for a lure and better be at use at somewhere else, you know? We had a deal. If I went on this one, he’d let me mum go even if I failed to get him what he wanted. If I ever got caught, I killed myself. Otherwise he killed her. Eva did check-ins only once a week in the beginning because the spell was too hard for me then. I couldn’t hold it for more than 5 minutes. If I didn’t reply, she’d know I was dead.” Somehow, Alex anticipates the next part when Miles’s fingers loosen, and he laughs at himself quietly.Alex really would ask Miles not to continue if only he could make a sound right now.“You know, I tried to make Tom do it for me the moment his team got to me. But he has to be a nice guy. Then some genius decided to curse the Explorers to be mental and they came so close, you know? I was so ready to die, Alex! But you happened to be there…you saved me.” Miles lifts his head up. His expression breaks Alex’s broken heart all over again. “I’m so sorry.”“Don’t pity me, Alex.” Miles asks gently when he shortly glances at Alex’s face. “Not worth it.”“I didn’t want to …after that when my head was clear, I figured he’d never keep the promise anyway. The only way to keep me mum alive is to survive.” Miles lowers his head again. “I wasn’t expecting to…it went out of control.”No words seem to be a good answer. There is a chance that Miles is still lying, he knows it, but the way Miles was telling the story looks too painful to be fake. Alex has to take over before the heaviness in the air crushes him. He asks: “Fox didn’t ask you to trick me down. Then why am I here?”Miles manages to surprise him again. He looks at Alex, a mixture of proud, guilt and worry in his eyes. “Because it has to be you.” He looks down again. “She asks for you.”At first, Alex can’t understand. “Who? Eva?”When Miles only stays silent and grabs at his own wrists, Alex finally gets it. He gets it and his blood gets cold, his heart pounding.“You betrayed Fox.” He gasps his realization. “You took me down for THE THING.”+
Technically, Miles didn’t work for the most mysterious monster on the Moon. He barely knew it at all, like every other person who struggled to survive.

He had no encounter with it until the day they dumped him at the site. The monster had just taken off and he was left there alone this time. The air smelled like blood and death and Miles leaned on a huge trunk, waiting patiently for his fate.

Eva was the last to leave. “I’ll show you one more time.” She said, making the blue light ball in her palms. Miles looked at it and he didn’t know if it was because of the darkness. The light looked somewhat greenish this time. “Feel it, Miles.” Eva ordered. Miles obeyed passively. He put his hand on the light and suddenly her voice filled his head.

“I’ll take care of your mum.” Eva said in silence. Miles gasped, but she shut him up with a deadly glare. Eva asked audibly: “Do you understand how it is done? Show me.”

Miles’ hands were shaking so badly. He tried his best to duplicate what he just felt. It’s only a small twist from what she showed him before. “Am I doing it correctly?” He thought. Eva blinked at him and she gave him a barely recognizable smile.

“Well done, Miles.” She said. And with that she was gone.

The moment the ship left, he was swallowed by darkness. Miles hated waiting in the dark because most of his life had felt just like that. He waited for a few more minutes before the silence finally broke him and Miles felt his eyes tingling.

He was not going to sit here and cry like a baby. Not after everything he had done. Miles forced himself to think about what Eva just showed him. What was that supposed to mean? Was it a test? Was she trying to see if he was loyal to that lunatic?

Miles held his hands up. He wanted some light. It was only five minutes. He thought to himself. The ship from the Upper City wouldn’t arrive this fast.

He casted the only spell he knew. Under the dim cold light, he could see the ruins and the evidence of death around him. He was not so different from the monster. He was worse.

Miles held the spell until he was shaking with the effort. It was right before he decided to stop when the dark shadow approached him. At first, he thought it was only his illusion. But then the shadow came closer. It flooded him before Miles could even react.

The moment it touched the communication spell he was holding, Miles screamed.

PAIN. Pain that was so violent and overwhelming. RAGE. Uncontrollable rage which made him rive on the ground. CONFUSION. FEAR. HATRED.

The voice in his head threatened to tear him open. He could only make out a few words which he couldn’t fully understand: the drilling platform, the shied, him.

WHO? He shouted in his own head. He was going to pass out if the voice didn’t stop right now.

HIM. She said. I WANT HIM.

Blurred scenes were pushed into his memory: People rushing out of a ship. Bright lights of magic. A slender figure at the edge of the darkness, holding the magic fender. Long hair. Beautiful, determined face. A young man who looked no older than Miles himself.

The voice and pictures were all gone. Miles was panting on the ground, barely conscious. The emotions were left inside him, and he suffered with the unknow dark shadow. It was so fucking painful and he just wanted to die.

Light casted on his face. Miles opened his eyes. A group of people were approaching him. The tall one at the front was wearing a Wizard cloak. He could help him to escape from this agony, from the endless crimes he was about to commit.

Miles attacked him blindly.

+

In only a few hours, he met the special one the monster wanted so bad. Alex Turner was there, blocking his way to death. Miles was so angry at him. He wanted him to just go away and leave him alone. But Alex didn’t. He looked at Miles like he was a normal, innocent man even after Miles tried to hurt him. He was nice and genuine and his eyes were warm. Miles knew no one that was this naïve and trusting and GOOD.

He spent the first day in absolute shock. The Upper City was nothing like the place down there. Alex took him back to his own flat. His magic felt nice and gentle even when he was having a nightmare. Alex was more powerful than any of magic users Miles knew. And he felt sorry when he thought he hurt him. Miles was not aware that someone like this could be real. He couldn’t really sleep at first, but the room had a comforting smell. He woke up to Alex’s voice talking in the kitchen.

It was the best sound ever.

He didn’t rush to die now when her emotions left him alone. But it also meant Miles realized what he was here for. He thought about it constantly as Alex took him back to the BASE, asking him stupid questions for a risk assessment.

Miles was a pro when it came to lie. He could not even feel the guilt when he was saying nonsenses. But when Alex heard Miles lying about something that sounded miserable, the way Alex frowned was killing him.

The whole afternoon in the shelter Miles was filled with an unfamiliar dread. He felt so ashamed and so low when he sat there alone, thinking about the Healer who died before him, about the numerous Explorers he led to death, about the puppy that died in his arms. When the place burst on fire, for a moment Miles thought he was in the pit finally, in where he deserved to be.

They were trapped in the playroom and he tried to make a shield that was enough to cover everyone. It was not a wise thing to do: he barely knew how to use his magic and he barely knew those people. He didn’t remember much, really. The place was burning with evil magic and he was evil just as the flames around. It was until something touched him and filled him with a pure, warm sensation. Miles could barely breath when he realized it was Alex coming in, saving him (yet again). His legs were useless when they were escaping. Miles was such a burden, yet this man who knew him for two days thought it was a good idea to protect him with his life.

Nobody had stood up for him like this since the second he stepped into the capital city. Miles was so desperate to stop Alex from doing such a stupid, meaningless thing. Their magic touched, and he was again bathed in the best feeling he ever had. Somehow he felt so special. Complete.

When he woke up and learned that Alex broke a handful of laws just to save people from the Lower cities, the unfamiliar dread came back. Miles wanted to see him so freaking much. He was actually glad that Lydia wanted the same thing. They were in the room, talking. Alex still looked beautiful when he was tired and angry. He told Miles that all lives were equally as important (not true) and he felt the same connection. When Alex left in the evening, Miles wanted nothing more than coming with him.

Alex came back after only half an hour. He gave Miles a receiver and showed him how to access the system. “If anything, just call me.” Alex smiled at him. He was so natural when he offered it, not a single bit of pity or arrogance. He made Miles feel so equal. Miles almost hated him a little for that.

He didn’t think much about the short conversation he had with the monster when he figured out Alex was the Chief Wizard of the Upper City. At that time, Miles thought she wanted him for obvious reasons: To THE THING, Alex was one of the biggest threats. No way Miles was giving Alex to her. Not in a million years.

Miles was in contact with Fox the next day. He was very aware of the monitors and ended up going to the greenhouse at the back of the hospital. Fox was unhappy that Miles did not get back to him earlier, but the information Miles had for him was enough to make him satisfied for this week. “I wasn’t expecting you to end up right into BLOCK 505. That’s good. The current Chief Wizard is based in that BLOCK, isn’t he?”

Miles couldn’t breathe for a second. “Yeah.”

“Chief Wizards have all access to the Upper City. It should be easy for you to approach him, Miles. You are a Potentia after all.” He made it clear that it was not a suggestion but an order. “Get to know him, Miles. You know how to be charming.”

“But Al—but Turner is going to the west end today and it’s a long-time mission. I can only wait until—”

“Make him uncapable to go then. I don’t want to miss the big day of this year.” Fox said to him. “Right, Miles. I was at Pauline’s flat today. She was worried about you.” Miles wanted Fox to stop laughing.

He wanted to shut him up by killing him slowly and painfully.

Miles decided to write a report. Apparently, this was the way to go in the Upper City. Miles read through a few public announcements before he tried to write in the same tone. He needed something that would get Alex into trouble and keep him here, postponing or cancelling the mission. Something Alex actually did: He took Miles back home. He disobeyed orders and attacked the Commander just to save a bunch of Lower citizens. He was weirdly obsessed with THE THING and he treated the survivors too seriously. He was too caring. Too involved. Too kind.

The more Miles thought about it, the more he fell for Alex Turner.

When he sneaked back to the ruined shelter and sent the report he just wrote to framing Alex, for the first time in a long term, Miles felt guilty. Alex was texting him only a minute ago and he was so funny and lovely. He had no idea what Miles just did.

Miles ended up emptying everything in his stomach when he got back in the hospital. Lydia thought he was unwell as Miles went back in the room. “Are you sick, Miles?” She asked in an adult-like, worried tone. Miles shook his head. “No, love. I’m fine.”

He lied. He was sick. He was such a disgusting being.

Miles couldn’t bring himself to contact Alex for the next few days.
+TBC+

----- CHAPTER BREAK -----

Chapter 14

+

Miles was so relieved when three days passed, and nothing seemed to happen. He was hoping the public system was not working properly so his report failed to send, or they simply didn’t care that much. He did get a notice that he was to get a face-to-face risk assessment. Miles hid his receiver in the greenhouse immediately after receiving the notice, just in case he would get Alex into more trouble.

He didn’t expect it to be a magical power test. The dark room felt so much like on the lunar surface during his working hours. And it was not very long before they realized he was unaware of any useful spells. It didn’t hurt as much as those times when Fox wanted the scene to be particularly convincing. But it did keep him in the clinic for a good two days.

Alexa was quite upset when they brought him in. She was the best Healer on the Moon. Miles didn’t want to be anywhere near her, for Alexa reminded him of the innocent girl he had murdered. “I could send you back to the hospital if you really want.” Alexa did not want him to be in the shelter for today. She insisted that place was too “underdressed” right now. They hadn’t had all the stuff restored yet, just the basics and people were urged to move in today. It was quite noisy and not particularly good for anyone’s health.

Miles was too uncomfortable to argue. He felt out of place anywhere in the Upper City, except when Alex was there with him. He knew clearly that Alex was someone he had just betrayed and would betray again under certain circumstance. But Miles still went out to call him when he woke up from a nightmare.

His hand was shaking badly when hearing Alex’s voice. Later, he’d think about this particular night again and again: Miles played the innocent survivor and the stupid young Wizard bought it without a second thought. Alex surprised him once again. For one second Alex was shouting but the next moment he burst into tears, apologizing for something that had nothing to do with his too-good-for-this-shit soul.

How can someone be this daft? Miles thought through gritted teeth. If he was not so good at pretending to be numb, he’d cry himself. Miles realized he had already screwed this job up way more than he could ever imagine when Alex ask him softly if he’d be fine.

From then on, Alex became someone he’d never betray even with a gun to his head.
 +
Miles found out Eva had another identity on the second communication.

“… at least he got a citizenship.” She was talking to Fox when the light ball in Miles’ hand flashed blue and her voice filled his head. Let him believe you are working very hard on blending into the place but speak nothing else.

Miles swallowed down his suspicion. He twisted the spell as well. What kind of game are you playing here?

Talk to me same time tomorrow. Now do what I said.

“I don’t
—
I think they are not sending Turner back anytime soon. He was very alert when I tried to talk to him.” The lie rolled right off Miles’ tongue before he could debate any longer. His back was covered with cold sweat when he added: “I’ll figure out another way.”

“How?” Fox’s scolding voice was impatient. “Such a useless piece of shit.”

“I’m sorry Sir. Give me some time to know people here.” Miles made an ugly face when he kept on lying in an obedient manner. “Please. I’ll figure out who’s in charge of all the information.”

Fox snorted coldly. “With everyone knowing you are a fucking magic user from the pit?"

“Miles is very good at pleasing people, Sir.” Eva joined in, laughing at him. For a second Miles thought he was tricked and she would tell Fox right now he had been unfaithful. But the fatal charge didn’t come. Instead, she said: “You know what he’s like in the outer circle.”

Her remarks made Fox laugh. It was a hateful sound. But he was finally satisfied enough to let Miles go. Miles was restless after the connection was cut off, confused as hell. Why was Eva talking to him in secret? She was the one Fox trusted with everything, including his own safety.

“I am the leader of the Little Flames.” Said Eva the second day. Miles nearly messed up the spell, gagging in shock.

“You what?” Miles closed the emergency exit door with his shaky legs, trapping himself in the glasshouse. The Little Flames was the lead group that fought against Fox in the Lower cities. It was a name for the group of rebels who hated his cruelty and were against the killings. “No fucking way.”

“I don’t have time for this, Miles. You can’t hold the spell for long. Listen, I’ll try my best to keep Pauline safe. Fox wants to make a scene in the Upper City on The Exchange Day because he wants a deal with people above. It’s not for revenge or shit. But we don’t know what he has known or what exactly he's after. I tried for years and still couldn’t figure it out. Now that you are in the Upper City. You can help us.”

“Why’d you work for him if you lead the rebels?” Miles accused her. He surprised even himself with the heat in his voice. Suddenly, the hatred he tried to bury and conceal bubbled up and Miles was bathed in fury. “What the fuck is wrong with you? All these damn years you keep me and me mum there—”

“You’d be dead for so many times without me, you ungrateful little shit.” There was no real hatred in her voice. On the contrary, Eva almost sounded apologetic. Suddenly, Miles remembered the strange words she said after taking down the Healer. “I need to be sure you wouldn’t bend and become like him. And don’t think you are the only one who has someone to worry about, Miles.”

+

Fox had no idea Miles was learning magic in the camp. Miles and Eva had soon become a nice acting duo. The communication with Fox was kept at minimal as he thought Miles could not hold the spell for more than 5 mins. It helped to buy him time.

Miles was informed that there was a fair amount of people who didn’t consider attacking the ships from the Upper City a good idea. He was never happier, knowing that he was not crazy and there might be a chance to make Fox pay. Miles learned that Eva worked for him because her boyfriend was sick, and Fox was the only one who could offer him medicine. It was a mysterious magic potion that she could not find any records for. “Fox knew nothing about magic. He was an engineer before. Strange, right? The potion was something he used to control us who are the closest to him. 
I only know it has something to do with the Upper City.” Eva sighed. “I know you don’t like it, Miles. But you need to get the information as soon as possible. Work on that, okay? I’ve heard from your old friends that you can be very charming.”

“Friends?” Miles asked incredulously. In fact, he was already quite fitted in the BASE. He wondered how much of it was owed to Alex, for Miles was somewhat intentionally approaching Alex’s friends who Alex had mentioned in texts and talks. They were nice people who wouldn’t see him as some sort of pest. “I don’t have any friends.”

“Your friends in the outer circle, Miles. You’d be surprised how many of our people are out there, pretending to be loyal workers.” Eva chuckled. She was genuinely happy to see Miles’ magic skills getting better. “You can hold the spell for more than 10 mins now. You’ll be better than me in no time. Is it safe for you to talk?”

Miles looked back at the closed door. “Yeah. But I should probably go anyway. The Healer in the hospital usually comes down at round this time.”

Ariella pushed the door open right after Miles dropped the spell and was about to leave. “Here again?” She flashed him a big smile. “Smoking is bad for your asthma.”

Miles returned her a nervous grin, fidgeting with the edge of his white T-shirt. “Bad habit.” He admitted, hiding his sweaty palms in his pockets. He added a random lie. “I like the herbs here. They are nice to look at.”

“You think?” Ariella laughed when he mentioned those grasses in the greenhouse. They were all ingredients for magic potions and hideous-looking. Miles wanted to bite his tongue off. It was such a stupid thing to say. But to his surprise, she kneeled down to pull a mandrake out, shaking off the soil form its roots. “You are the second people who’d said that to me in the past like…5 years.
 "

Miles blinked in confusion.

“Alex said the exact same thing the first time he came here. Of course, he was only to flatter me so I’d let him pass the lesson. You should see him with a cauldron.” Ariella put the mandrake in a black bag. Miles was relieved. Now that she had believed he was simply trying to be nice. “I promise I’ll do better than him when I start the course later.” Miles joked. They talked for a while and he had agreed to take Lydia here next Friday as well.

Miles left with thoughts about Alex. It happened more and more often these days. He was by no means trying to get information from Alex. Not directly at least. He had Alex’s timetable remembered by heart and on his day off they would stay on the line until one of them had to go. Miles knew where this was heading.

He was not supposed to fall for the Chief Wizard of the Upper City. But it was damn hard to not love Alex Turner.

+

Miles was convinced that James Ford knew he was up to something.

He probably spent way too much time in the library, reading all the documents he could find about the mining project. Weller let him do whatever he wanted with the documents. But he didn’t want Miles to take any records outside the camp. After he realized he could not get any information from Weller, Miles tried to ask other Wizards what exactly was exploited in the mining pits.

“Rare earth minerals, metals and shit. I don’t know.” Zach recalled. They were given a brief explanation every time they went to the platform to work on the shield. “Why? Is it important?”

“No, just curious. Must be great stuff, right? Otherwise people on Earth wouldn’t want you to stay here and keep the project running.” Miles shrugged. He earned a snort from James as he raised his glass, draining it. Miles let out a shaky laugh himself. Zach downed the rest of his beer in one.

His receiver beeped. It was a short massage from Alex. “Who was it?” Zach asked him in a muffled voice. Miles didn’t read it right away. “A friend.”

“Isn’t it obvious? I bet that’s our dear Turner.” James laughed at him. Miles was caught under their peery gazes. “Alex was a very private person before you were all over each other. So much so that he was horrible at keeping in touch, you know what I mean?”

It was only over a month after their first encounter. Miles could tell not everyone was quite comfortable with the things Alex did for him. Alex was Miles’ “guarantee” for his training sessions in the camp and Weller made the exception for them. Miles looked down. It was easy for him to pretend the surprise and embarrassment. “He’s…we are not
—
”

Zach shook his head, smacking James and Miles both on the back at the same time. “Ford, leave them alone.”

James didn’t really listen to him. He caught Miles leaving early that night, typing on his receiver to answer Alex’s massage. He stopped Miles on the street where there was no monitor. “Did you hear anything about the mining project down there?” James asked abruptly. Miles opened his mouth, but nothing came out at first.

“No, not really.” Miles said hesitantly. James was on the verge of being completely drunk. He rolled his eyes. “I only knew it was for getting resources for Earth.”

“Right, for the greater good. Of course.” James snickered. He pointed at Miles’ hand holding the receiver, asking: “How’s Alex?”

“He’s alright. Smashed by work.” Miles answered quietly. James stared at him for a few more seconds before getting back to the bar. "Sorry about earlier. Too many drinks in my brain." He patted Miles on the shoulder, walking away. Miles was left speechless on the street, heart beating too fast. He called Alex after James disappeared in sight. He wanted to ask Alex about the mining project as well, but a strange shame grabbed him and Miles just couldn’t bring himself to go there. They ended up talking about music. It was one thing that made Miles feel normal.

+

It was partly by accident that Miles figured out what Fox was after.

Alex was coming back in two days and by that point, Miles had intentionally missed all the opportunities to get any information out of him. They talked mostly about Alex’s life, for Miles had no intention to share his own. Alex never pushed him. Sometimes Miles felt bad for keeping so many secrets. But he knew better than confessing them to Alex.

“…disappeared?” Miles asked in shock. It was during a break and he sat with all the kids in the camp. Joe looked around before turning back at him. He continued to whisper: “Yeah, but that’s what they said. Nobody knew where Mr. Casablancas went. It was only one week before the Exchange day. He was just back from a rescue mission on the eastern side of the capital City.”

Fox’s factories were all located on the eastern side. Miles even knew about that “accident” Fox set up. But it was top secret back than and he was not involved.

Tom cut in. “I think he was murdered by the big guys.”

“What?” Miles was even more confused. Alex seldom talked about Julian. Miles figured it was one of the topics that that brought up painful memories. He eagerly asked: “But why?”

“They caught him talking to magic users down there and accused him of treason. It was quite big news back then before Mr. Casablancas went missing. Mr. Turner was assigned only a week after Mr. Casablancas was gone. For quite a while, some people were even saying Mr. Turner killed him to get the position.” Brat added. He made a face.

Tom snorted into his water bottle. “Bullshits.”

Miles checked with Eva that afternoon. “Fox met him indeed. Alone. I only know it didn’t quite go as he planned.” She was worried. “I'll warn you, he’s not very happy about your progress.”

He touched on the issue when reporting to Fox. “I asked on the Exchange Day and heard the Chief Wizard before Turner was involved in some kind of event near the city. Sir, if you could let me know—”

“Who told you?” Fox’s voice twisted into the familiar threat that Miles knew all too well. He tried to brush it off. “Some kids. I was just chatting with them and they told me some old rumours.”

“I ask for he date of The Exchange Day for this year. It has been two fucking months, Miles, yet all you have are some useless rumours from little brats.” The threat turned into an angry sneer. Miles didn’t have an excuse for that. He knew it was dangerous to go ahead at this point, but he wanted to take even a single step forward.

“Have you met Julian Casablancas, Sir?” The light in Miles’ hands flickered blue in a second and Eva screamed at him, asking him to shut up.

It was too late. Fox didn’t answer his question, but he was MAD. “A month, Miles. I’ll give you one more month and you better give me something useful.”

The spell was cut off from the other side. After that, Eva didn’t contact him for days.

Miles was kept busy anyway: Alex returned from the west end and suddenly all Miles could see was him. His trouble seemed so far away when Alex was there. He was never hesitant to compliment Miles on basically everything, and he was ridiculously adorable getting upset over the fact that Taylor and Miles didn’t get along. Miles knew it pretty early on and he could understand where her hostility came from. Jealousy. In fact, it went both ways.

Alex didn’t know. He managed to blame himself for not being supportive enough. Before, Miles was convinced he couldn’t like Alex more. He was just wrong.

Miles stayed at Alex’s guest room nearly evert night of that week. Alex was more than willing to show him magic tricks and they ended up spending the nights practicing random spells with music playing in the background. There were a few times when Alex wanted to ask him about the Lower cities but chose silence instead. Miles pretended he didn’t notice. He was scared that Fox would hurt his mum if he somehow knew Miles gave off his secrets. But now it was not the only thing that he was scared of. What would Alex think of him if he knew all the horrible things Miles did? Alex would never be able to look at him the same.

Two days before Alex went back to the mission, there was a call from his parents. Alex went out into the kitchen to take it and Miles decided to browse through Alex’s book collection. He noticed that there were even more books on ancient magical creatures than spells. The books used to belong to Julian Casablancas.

It could be that Casablancas just liked mythical creatures. Miles thought. It could be nothing.

Or it could be a hidden message.

Miles pretended to be tired that night, making Alex believe that he needed to rest early. He stayed up reading the books. At first, Miles was extremely confused because none of the creatures recorded in the books were anything near THE THING on the moon. He couldn’t even understand all the descriptions in the books. However, onto the third book, he realized all the creatures recorded shared the same features: an extremely long life-span, monstrous healing speed and a magical power that no man was close to have.

THE THING just didn’t fit. It couldn’t break the magical fenders built by human Wizards, yet they knew no way to kill it off. On top of that, she wanted Alex. Miles remembered the short “conversation” he had with THE THING. Suddenly it seemed so strangely disturbing.

The drilling platform. She mentioned the mining project in particular. Miles hadn’t given it enough thoughts before.

Suddenly, all the pieces were placed together: the deal Fox was to make with Julian Casablancas, the information Fox wanted, the unknown magical potion that could save Eva’s boyfriend from deadly disease  the sudden attack from THE THING that started right after the mining project began, the broken massage THE THING tried to pass to him. It dawned on Miles that THE THING was in such agony and rage because THE MINING PROJECT WAS HURTING HER. The drilling caused her to attack people, but the project was still pressured to keep going because it offered far more than some damn minerals. The secret in the drilling pit was what gave Fox the magical potions to beat death.

They were never after resources for Earth. The mining project was after IMMORTALITY.

Miles sat upright, the book falling off from his shaky hands.

The silence and darkness in the flat made him dizzy.
He went out into the living room, wanting to tell Alex his crazy theory. But Miles was stopped when he found Alex’s receiver on the kitchen table, the screen still on. Alex must have forgotten it here.

Looking back, Miles was very much aware that it was his selfishness that made him do it. He didn’t want to betray Alex in any way, yet Miles realized that telling Alex his little theory also meant revealing his secrets. He just couldn’t.

Miles went into the kitchen. Without much thought, he pulled the screen out from Alex’s receiver and accessed into the database, pulling out both the record of drilling pits and reports of the attacks. The peak of attacks from THE THING always occurred right after a new borehole was drilled. It was not hard to notice if someone was to look at them together.

James was in charge of the monitors and database. Miles thought in panic. He might know it all along. In fact, so many people in the Upper City might know.

He turned off the screen, hiding his face in his now sweaty hands. Casablancas was accused of treason and disappeared right after he met Fox.  What if the rumour was true? What if Fox told him about THE THING and he was killed by “the big guys” in the Upper City to keep it a secret? What if Alex was one of them and he knew—

Miles stopped himself right there. There was no chance that Alex knew about any of this. He would not waste a second to stop the drilling project if he knew it caused THE THING to kill people.

It was only a theory. A guess. Some crazy imagination. Miles reminded himself. He had no evidence. No proof.

He went back to the guest room and stared at the bookshelf until Alex knocked on his door.

+

Miles was never going to tell Eva if they didn’t take Alex away the next day. He ended up in the greenhouse, panicking and desperate. Miles threw his head back onto the wall. The pain didn’t sooth him at all. “Eva, Alex was taken to the court. I accessed the database through his receiver. There was no way—”

“You didn’t tell me you were friends.” Eva said coldly. “Were you wasting our time on purpose before?”

“We were no friends, and it’s not OUR TIME. I never asked for this!” Miles shouted in a low voice. She was probably too sharp for Miles’ miserable deny, but he did it anyway. “You wanna know what Fox was after? Fine. That’s what I think he’s trying to do. He’s killing people because he wants attention and a chance to negotiate. He wants to share the fucking fruit.”

“You know how crazy it sounds, right?”

“Then why don’t you go and see if he had some of those ‘mines’ hidden somewhere in the factory?” Miles spit out angrily. “You’ve been with him for fucking forever, you should know!”

A long pause, then she sighed. “You really like him.”

Miles was immediately brought down to tears. “Please don’t tell Fox.” He begged.

Eva ignored him. “You should know better than getting attached to anyone in the Upper City. Turner is the Chief Wizard of the Upper City, Miles. What if he finds out about you? It will ruin everything we have planned. Just let them think he is digging the issue. And keep your fucking distance.”

It was another half an hour before Miles found the strength to leave the greenhouse and go wait for Alex to be back. He never felt this alone.
 +TBC+

----- CHAPTER BREAK -----

Chapter 15+
What had he done?
Miles stared at his own reflection in the mirror and a pathetic liar looked back at him. Alex was still in the clinic, unconscious. Miles didn’t want to be in the same room with him knowing clearly that Alex was in trouble because of him, but he also couldn’t stand not staying by Alex’s side.

He ended up on the floor making magic potions with Alexa, trying to distract himself. “Are there any magic potions to cure cancer?” Her hands hovering above the pot dropped abruptly. Alexa gave him a questioning look, a sad smile on her face.

He looked down at the glistening liquid. “So…no magic can rise people from the dead or make people live forever?”

“It’s not how magic works, Miles.” Alexa went back to make the medicine. “It comes from the power of a living human soul. All people have it in them but not all can use it. It’s like everyone is born with a voice but not all of us can sing beautifully. Therefore, no magic can’t beat death. Not to my knowledge.”

Miles handed her a piece of root. “But the creature down there is no human. Does it mean THE THING have a soul as well?”

“Miles.” She shushed him. “Don’t overthink it.”

No way Miles could stop racking his own brain. He was only distracted when Alex woke up, confused and in pain. Miles was up and by his side in no time. He fought against the urge to touch and comfort Alex, letting him tell what happened first.

Miles was surprised to hear the contents of his own report from over two months ago. FUCK. He cheered silently. It was better because of that damn report than them suspecting Alex knew something he didn’t. Either way, it was because of him. Miles grabbed at Alex’s hand, but it was more of a comfort to himself. He couldn’t even say he’s sorry.

His hope was, however, shattered when Alex told him they were trying to make him talk about THE THING. Miles’ body went rigid and the moment Alex’s teammates came in, Miles hastily drew back his hand. They all focused on the anomalous report while Miles knew clearly that was not the point. Alex was removed from the mission and kept in the BLOCK 505 because someone was trying to keep an eye on him. He was in danger.

He could have been crushed completely by guilt. If he was not peeking at the problem, none of this would happen. Miles found it painfully obvious that Alex didn’t want anyone to worry even he himself was scared as hell. He acted borderline defensive, playing cool in front of his friends. It only made Miles want to hug him and hide Alex from all the trouble.

It was that particular moment that Miles came around, when Alex had him pinned helplessly on the door. He had a point. “Alex, that’s not what I mean.” Miles rushed those words out in panic, covering his self-pity. How arrogant he was, thinking he could be in use for Alex (let alone he was the one who stabbed him in the back)? Nothing saddened him more than Alex’s tears.

Miles spent the night sitting in the dark. There was no way out for him anyway. Fox had his mom in hostage and Eva couldn’t care less about Alex’s life. No one could help him to deal with the whole mess. The only way out was to get it through.

He had to come up with a plan.
+
It was hard to find a way to destroy Fox and his sick intention while keeping Alex and his mother safe.
It got even harder when they found out that they were soulmates.

Now he knew why THE THING talked to him in the first place. She wanted to get to Alex. Putting that message into Miles’ head, he was following her orders without even realizing it. Miles desperately, urgently needed to confirm his hypotheses and thought about a strategy to take down Fox.

He bumped into Homme when he was on the way to the greenhouse, wearing one of Alex’ white turtle-neck, wrecking his brain endlessly on the problem. “Kane,” The man stopped him when Miles tried to run away, “I see you and Turner are getting along pretty well.”

“Alex is a good friend, Sir.” Miles replied nonchalantly, trying to act normal. He was still uncomfortable around Homme after the sweet meeting in the trail room.

Homme blocked his way. “Turner lied on the court, covering for someone. It was unknown to me before that the truth telling spell could be beat by will.”

Miles gasped in surprise. Alex never mentioned anything about some truth telling spell. He thought Alex was intentionally tortured with magical potions by the interrogators. “What?”

“He would not tell me who was his source of information that the monster was female. The truth telling spell cause people immense pain if they don’t cooperate.” Homme said in a low voice. Miles stared at him, completely stoned. “I’m informed of your magical bonds. I made a reasonable interpretation that he was trying to protect someone he cared deeply. You happened to be from the Lower Cities, Kane. And you’re a magic user.”

He felt naked when Homme gave him a cold, piecing glance. Miles retorted back, forgetting his acted coolness for a second. “I don’t know what you are talking about, Sir.”

“What are you after in the Upper City, Kane?” Homme pressured him to move to the blind spot in the alley. “I want Alex to be safe, and you just got him a death sentence.”

Miles lost all his cool immediately. “No! But why—You know what happened to the last Chief Wizard.” The expression on Homme’s face told him everything. “Fuck, there’s something seriously wrong about this place.”

“I really should have just killed you before you ruined everything.”

“Why do you keep talking like you care about Alex’s well-being?”

“Because I do!” Homme snarled in a low, shaky voice. Miles had seen many people in despair. He could easily tell Homme was being honest. Suddenly, Miles realized he could not move his body at all (When did Homme put on the spell?). Homme had no intention to chitchat, and he did not just show up on Miles’ way to the hospital by chance. Miles was with Alex all the time. He had been looking for an opportunity to “eliminate the trouble”.

Seized by a sudden impulse, Miles realized Homme was right.

“Let’s make a deal, Sir.” He offered, knowing that would be another thing he’d forever keep from Alex.

+
“I made a deal with him, so he didn’t put me in jail. Homme confirmed my theory. The mining pit hurt the monster and that’s why she attacks people. She can’t be satisfied with just bodies. She needs the power in human souls. There aren’t many people who know about the truth of the mining project. Most people who know don’t like it either. The Major is in charge of the project and he’s also the Chief Excutive. Homme can’t confront him because of that. I offered to terminate the mining project. I figured that the monster asked for you because you’re the one who could help her.”Alex is still processing all the information. “Help her with what?”“She believes that I can cure her, if you let me use your magic.” Miles shrugs as if that’s the most normal thing in the world. “We just need to get into the pit for a minute. That’s also easy, because Matt is the only one that threatened me earlier, which means Homme must have made sure that Jamie and Nick stay at the platform. I’m sure they will find a way to open the fender for you.”“You plan to use them as well?” Anger makes Alex laugh out. “They’ll get into trouble if they do so!”Miles ignores him. “Homme put me onto the missions just so I have a very good reason to follow you down there. In fact, he didn’t want to assign you to work. It’s an order from someone in higher level. If I’m with you, the attackers shall recognize me and this will at least keep you alive. In return, he helps me to take down Fox and destroys his weapon production line.”“That’s why you convinced me to talk to Homme. You two played me.” Now he looks back, the way Miles was acting and the things he said, they all make sense. “And you put my friends in danger!”“I didn’t mean to!” Miles takes in a deep breath and looks away. “I had no idea what they’d do. I’m sorry about Zach.”“Why didn’t you just tell me?”“I can’t—listen, if I told you, how would you react? Knowing they are letting people die deliberately. There’s no way you’d wait and go through the plan. You would confront those men and get yourself killed. I know you, Alex. You are too good for this mess. I was going to tell you when everything had been planned perfectly, but then you caught me talking to Fox and Eva so I didn’t get the chance.”The way he moves. Alex has quickly learned to tell there’s something not quite right. “Bullshit. You friends here helped you out and Homme sent out the fleet. You’ve got everything settled already. Let me guess, you had a date for the operation, and it wouldn’t be today if I haven’t catch you.”“…tomorrow.” Miles admitted. “He’s going to send us both out and I’d just put on the same play I did.”“Why do you keep lying to me, Miles?” Alex asks, aggrieved and sad. His throat feels too dry and his chest hurts. “You had so many chances to just tell me the fucking truth. The time when I suspected you—”“Because I don’t want you to know about me!” For the first time, Miles raises his voice. He grabs at his hair anxiously like a mad man in a cage. “I messed up, okay? I saw how you looked at me sometimes, Al. And with the whole soul-mate thing, I just thought, why not? I need you to trust me completely for this to work, right? But I couldn’t bring myself to do it. I was never going to tell you how I felt. I was about to tell you the plan, I swear. But then you came in. You were so mad at me and I thought you took Taylor’s advice. I thought you believed her. I know you should… I mean, all I did was lying. I have no right to be angry.”His voice becomes barely audible. Before he knows it, Alex steps forward and shortens the distance between them. “I was not thinking straight. I made a mistake, Alex. You liked the fake me. I wanted to keep it that way and I got too scared to show you who I really am. I’m selfish and—”Alex can’t stand one more word, so he moves forward, gently pulls Miles’ hands away, kissing him until he stops trying to make any noises.“One thing you’re wrong about me.” Alex murmurs when Miles looks up into his eyes. “I would wait for your stupid plan to work because I want Fox to be dead.”“Don’t say it.” Miles pleas. “You’re not like that.”“I’m not some innocent baby, Miles. And I don’t need you to protect me.” Alex insists, still holding Miles’s wrists in his hands. “I’m also not stupid. Fuck you for tricking me, Miles. But I didn’t fall for a fake you. You should’ve known better.”A spark of magic in his palm binds Miles on the rock wall.+
Not that he doubts Miles’ confession is an act. Alex really doesn’t. It’s bothering him because what Miles and Homme has planned is something extra and dangerous. According to Miles, Fox knows no magic and all his information on Miles comes mainly from Eva, Miles’ friend. There was no need to destroy the ship like he did. And there was no need for Miles to hurt Alex or say those cruel words if he just wanted people to believe Alex was taken to Fox. Not to mention Homme could simply help with this matter. He could have cut off the monitor the minute they got on board and explain everything, unless there’s a reason for Miles to not to.“I need some time to think.” Alex explains calmly while Miles struggles to get free. His eyes widen when Alex adds: “I know you are still holding back on something. And I have a bad feeling about it.”“Alex, please. We don’t have much time to waste. I’ve told you everything!”Alex shushes him. What could have been the thing he just doesn’t want to Alex to know that he has to lie again and again? Maybe he’s just not important enough for Miles to tell him the truth...or it’s the opposite. Alex is aware that Miles still has no shield around himself. Of course, it could be a way of manipulation or a sign of arrogance. If that’s the case, he has no need to stand here in silence. Miles has said and implied more than once his willingness to sacrifice for him. What he’s afraid is that Miles has been honest all this time. Miles managed to make deal with Homme in that kind of a situation.He must have proven to Homme that he could be trusted—Finally, Alex figures it out.Alex would have known it quicker if he’s a little bit more narcissistic. He goes over what Homme said to Miles in his head: They were arguing about Alex’s safety, for fuck sake! Miles was the one who ask for that damn deal. Homme did not ask him for help. Miles offered to make sure that Alex would come off clean.He recalls the box full of ingredients that’s still sitting in his flat. Those ingredients could be used for many dark magic and the most straightforward choice is mind-controlling potion. Miles didn’t ask them for the fucking camp. It’s part of the bloody plan.“You could have cut off the monitor the moment we got in and explain everything to me. Those things you said were not just to convince them that you’d take me to Fox, Miles. It was to make them believe you forced me down here. You can’t let me know about your secrets, because you know there’s no way I’d sit by and do nothing. They’ve already suspected me, so you take advantage of it. The only way to get me out of this is to let them believe that you make me do it under the control of magic potion. That’s why you have those ingredients in my apartment. No...you were going to actually use it on me if thing went on as planned, so that I'd believe you are a traitor and hate on you. Even when we are here, you are still so reluctant to tell me the truth. You said it's because you didn't want me to know about your past, but that's the first thing you told me. You want me to focus on other things and go with the plan.” Alex feels stupid saying those words loud. His hesitance turns to rage when Miles opens his mouth to deny it, looking exactly like some kid being caught doing the bad thing.“So that’s your big plan? You’re going to take the blame and die? Fuck you, Miles! Do you think you’re some kind of hero here?”“No! Alex, it’s not like that!” Miles yells, his expression eager and desperate. “You don’t understand. They’re trying to kill you! That’s what they did to Julian and the others—”“What about you, Miles? What would they do to you if they find you drug me, force me to destroy the mining project and break their hope to beat death?”Miles smiles melancholically. His brown eyes are like dimmed stars under the cold light of the lamp. Alex is not prepared for his answer at all. “They’ll give me what I deserve.”+They sit inside the small ship. After operating it, Miles casts a glance at the screen and frowns at the time and date displayed on it. He squeezes his fingers very tightly on his knees, staring down.“I’m so sorry Alex. If there’s another way, I’d never drag you into this.”Alex wants to close his eyes or at least look away, but his body fights against his will. “I still can’t believe I have to figure it out myself. I was so... when I first heard you talking to Eva. I thought you were just messing with me, using me to get what you wanted. Now I fucking know what really happened, and you know what? It still doesn’t make things any better.” He bites on his lower lip. “It’s way worse because all the time you never wanted to hurt me. You always think so little of me, Miles. Always. You think I give a fuck about what they’d do to me? If you have just told me—”“See, Alex, this is exactly why I can’t let you know. I know the moment I tell you, you’d be like this. I can’t let you die, Alex. I made the mistake and dragged you into this mess, I can’t let you be killed by my problem—”“I was the one who called THE THING a she in front of them. I made a mistake too, so technically that’s my problem as well.”Miles let out a frustrated groan, glaring at Alex. Alex glares right back at him. “I love you, Miles. Does it ever occur to you that maybe I don’t mind getting into your trouble?”“That, Al! Don’t you see? You don’t know me. You can't love me! You got no idea about all the things I’ve done just a few minutes ago! I don’t want you to risk your life for someone like me—”“Say that again and I’m going to end you myself.” Alex rolls his eyes. “You don’t have a say in my feelings. I do, and will always love Miles fucking Kane until I decide not to. Wait, please don’t tell me that’s not your real name?”His mocking does not earn him a smile. Miles just looks at Alex like he is hopeless. Maybe he is crazy, sitting there, love talking to a spy, someone who repeatedly lied to him, a heart-breaker who he just can’t let go.Alex grabs at Miles’ wrist again, remembering that time when his magic lost control and hurt him. At that time, he wouldn’t allow himself go feel bad or worried, now he’s paying for it. He squeezes Miles’ wrist tightly until Miles’ face puckers with pain. His other hand moves in an extremely slow motion, making sure that Miles knows exactly where he’s aiming for, till he is touching Miles’ neck with his finger tips.“I hated you so much, Miles. I wanted you to suffer as much as I did. I could have killed you.” Alex admits, swallowing drily. “I was going to.”“I have a backup plan for that as well.” Miles jokes weakly. “Bet you don’t want to know.”"I do."Miles flinches when Alex turns his head and kisses his palm."I want to know everything about you. I want you to never have to put on an act around me."“Why do you have to be like this, Alex?” His pulse is racing. Miles asks the same question as when they were in the park, and that’s all the warning Alex gets before Miles breaks down, a tear trickling down his face. Alex immediately pulls him closer, letting Miles murmuring broken apologies and whispers of love into his neck. How do they come to this? Alex asks himself. Sitting on the moving mini-ship, running towards the frightening future awaits, he is lost and scared. However, at the same time, knowing Miles is truly here with him, Alex finally feels his own heart is beating again.“Don’t worry, I’m still mad at you, and I intend to be mad at you for a very long time. It’s just not the right time for it.” He says softly. It takes them only two hours to get to the mining pit. That’s all the time they have. Alex hold Miles tightly, waiting patiently for his tears to dry. “Let’s work out another plan, okay?”+TBC+

----- CHAPTER BREAK -----

Chapter 16+
“I don’t have the data here to show you, but I’ve checked every abnormal thing in the files before the platform was fully built. Turned out that there were many records on some ‘Healing Valleys’. Most of them just stories. But if you mark them on the map, they circle the drilling platform. I assume that’s how they made decisions on the first drilling locations.” Miles points on the map. “She is present everywhere on the Moon, but here is probably like her heart or something.”For a mysterious magical creature, it seems that THE THING used to have a really soft heart. Alex lets the question slip out before he knows it. “Does she have a name?”“Yes, but I can’t really make that sound.” Miles’ lips twitch in a weak smile as he quickly looks up at Alex’s face. “We are not going to call her Cyntia or anything, are we?”“Cynthia, Miles. It’s Cynthia.” Alex smiles back. It almost feels like nothing has happened and they are just having a casual talk in his flat, with Alex reading all those thick books and Miles pretending that he’s also interested. The moment is gone when the ship bumps on a rock and tilts to the side, snapping Alex out of the memory instantly. He fakes a cough. “What else?”Miles knocks on the screen again. “I made second contact with her when I was on patrol with Tom. She doesn’t seem to want any revenge, but we do need to get out of the pit as soon as we finish. I can guarantee that she will destroy every drilling location and the whole platform. Fortunately, there’re barely any people living nearby.”It’s still hard for Alex to hear what Miles has been doing behind his back. But there’s no time for him to get bitter. Miles senses Alex’s mood swings. He moves away slightly on his seat with an impassive face, pretending to check on the speed monitor again. Alex stops him before Miles can turn away. “Sorry, Miles. I’m not— I just wish you’d told me. It scares me even with you sitting here. She could have hurt you.”Without the mysterious envelope around him, Miles somehow seems much younger. After Alex squeezing the truth out of him, he also gets a little jumpy whenever Alex shows him any sign of affection. He tries to peel his hand away and Alex asks: “What’s wrong?”“I don’t know about the people working on site, Al. When we were planning it, Homme said he wouldn’t warn them, otherwise he’d look suspicious. I just can’t make sure it wouldn’t cause any injuries.” Miles stands up abruptly. “I’m sorry.”Miles must know exactly how to put a rope on Alex heart and master him. The thought makes Alex smile wearily, almost sad. “You came back that day saying nonsense because you thought you were about to murder people?”“I am about to murder people, don’t’ you see, Alex? Stop trying to make me look any better!” Alex is taken aback by the snap. Miles, too, seems shocked. He rakes his face with both of his hands, shaking and turning to the side.Alex jumps up from his seat as well. “Stop trying to drag yourself down, Miles! You don’t even have to do all this if you just want to, let’s say, get me out of trouble. Everyone except Homme thinks that you are the bad guy, you only have to wait until they find us and tell them you are evil. But then this shit just keeps going until everyone in the Lower Cities dies. If Homme knows about the drilling project, he’s known it for a long time. It’s you who wanted to do the extra work because you do care about those people, Miles! And I care too. I don’t plan on dying, and I won’t let you die.” His voice softens. Alex adds sadly: “I know you work as a loner Miles, but fuck it, look at me! Please. I only ask for you to trust me and let me help you.”Last time when he said those words, it didn’t end very well. Alex waits for an answer, getting nervous by each passing second. For one heart-stopping moment Alex thinks Miles is going to refuse him again, this time with words. Miles looks into his face. He stays quite motionless for a while, face blank.“Thanks, Al.” Says Miles quietly. Alex hasn’t seen that smirk of his in days and he misses it so much. “Please. I can really use an intellectual here.”+
30 minutes before they land, Alex lets the long page float in the air in front of them both for a last-minute review. Miles sets his mouth in a grim line, reading silently on the particular part that involves Alex, again, breaking 10 laws in just a few hours.Alex spares Miles a sideway glance, trying his best to hide his own uneasiness. “Come on, it’s way better than the old one.”“It’s also way too dangerous.” Miles has been stressful since the moment they started trying to find a way to save his own ass (If Alex is not under so much pressure himself, he’d find it kind of adorable). “They will surely interrogate you first. Homme probably wouldn’t be able to do it, since everyone involved will be under investigation. You’ll get only evil bastards and—”“You’re right. That’s why I have you,” Alex smiles, tapping on the line. “to knock me out with a spell.”Miles sniffs. “Very funny.”“I’m being serious, Miles.” He snaps his fingers, making the paper disappear. “That’s the best way to go. The power control of the west end is on the platform. If it’s destroyed, they’ll have to move the commanding centre to BLOCK 505. This gives us chance to approach The Major and his men. The spell specialist in our BLOCK is either Alexa or Ariella. Both of them will understand if you only cast…a gentle curse on me.”Miles glares at him, can’t seem to decide if he should be amused or worried. Alex chuckles drily and continues, “Even if another Healer is sent, they’d just assume you are bad at the curse. I know every lockdown spell in the BASE. Most of them I wrote myself. So, I just need to break into jail, get you out, find a way to make The Major admit all the dirty businesses and broadcast it.”Very great, Alex. He thinks sarcastically to himself. Than doesn’t sound difficult at all.“What if—”“Anything goes wrong, we improvise.” There’s not a single hint of humor in Alex’s voice. “We just need to let the people know what is happening.”“You’re betting on humanity, Al.” Says Miles, his voice unnaturally low. “It’s the way to immortality that we are talking about. People may hate on you instead of helping us.”Alex shakes his head gloomily (It’s a bad time to think about Julian and everyone else who died on missions). “Look at what it brings, Miles. Death sentences for both sides. All those people in the Upper City have been working and dying as a sacrifice. Living forever doesn’t seem so appealing if you don’t share the victory.”A message pops up on the screen, interrupting them. It’s from Eva. The whole factory has been under control and the fleet are currently inside the capital City. The wreck of the ship was found and now they are convinced that Alex and Miles were both dead.“Okay, everything’s settled.” Miles passes Alex the speaker and seizes his hand for a brief moment. “Al, I just want you to know that I’d never even think of doing any of this if it’s not for you. I know there’s nothing I can do to make up for what I did, but I wanna do at least one good thing.”He makes his magic knock lightly on Alex’s fender, and Alex lets him in. The warm, calming feeling fills his chest. “You’ve told me that already, remember?” Alex leans in to kiss him. “And I believe you.”+
“BLOCK 0, who’s this?”Alex doesn’t recognize the voice on the other side. He clears his throat, faking a feeble voice. “It’s Alex Turner, the Chief Wizar—”“Fucking hell, Alex!”Jamie gets hold of the line. “We got a massage saying you were dead! Are you ok? Where are you?”Miles answers coldly in his “villain voice”. To be honest, Alex is amazed how well and fast he gets into character. “Aha sorry. Can’t tell you now, Jamie.”“Kane, I swear.” Jamie snorts, but Alex can tell he’s panicked. “You are a dead man.”“Do you often rehearse your threats together or something?” Miles taps on the receiver carelessly, making Jamie livid. “Stop your drilling and I’ll consider stopping mine.”Miles grabs his arm and a strong burning sensation hits Alex’s elbow. He yelps in surprise. Miles gives him an apologetic wink, immediately taking away the pain with another spell.“What do you want, Miles?” Nick sounds much more composed than Jamie does. “They’ll find you just as they—”Miles cuts him off. “Call a halt on the operation or a halt on Turner’s life, your choice.”Noise of argument fills the background immediately while Nick breaths heavily. “Put Alex on the speaker and we will.” Miles looks at him. Alex writes on the screen: They are trying to trace down our location.“I’ll give you 5 seconds.” Miles hands the speaker back.“Al, we’re so sorry.”“Nick, I’m fine.”“No you’re not, but you will be, mate.” Jamie’s back. “Alex, I—”“Time’s up! Cut the power down or I’ll cut his throat open.” Miles shouts impatiently at the speaker, which is still in Alex’s hand. “Now!”A short period of silence, followed by a long alarming beep, then everything goes quiet.All the red spots marking the drilling wells on their map turns green.“We’ve done what you asked, Miles.” Nick hisses. “Leave Alex alone.”“I will, my friend. Stay where you are and wait for me to send the Little Prince back.”Miles sneers, taking the speaker a bit further away from him as Alex suddenly screams at it: “Get everyone off the platform, Nick! It’s a trap—”Miles cuts the line. They still have 5 more minutes before they reach the pit fender.“Wow, Al, that’s a nice one.” Miles’ breath escapes in a puff while Alex sits down in relief. “You did great.”“You’re as perfect as usual.” Alex jokes weakly, sitting up to look at the screen. All the dots are still green. If their plan has worked, Nick and Jamie would convince all the technicians and Wizards on platform to retreat into the city in under 15 minutes. Alex just turns off the communication system when Miles passes him a small pistol.He startles, “What?”“Load the gun with your magic, it wouldn’t take much.” Miles explains. “It’s designed to destroy fenders.”“The fender around the pit is the strongest magic wall I know, Miles.” Alex frowns. “I know how to open it. I’ve been in there a few times to mend the wall.”“It’s less suspicious this way. Believe me, it will work.” Miles’ face is hard. “It’s the newest model…what they used to hurt Zach. All the magic users in the Lower cities are untrained and you saw what they can do. The pistol is more powerful than a bomb in your hand.”Alex suddenly feels the skin in touch with the cold metal burning painfully. “Fine.” He slowly charges the clip with his magic. “Pull the ship over.”+
The sound of the wall breaking thuds against Miles’ fender. The impact wave knocks on the ship behind them and almost flips it. Powders of rock stir up in the air like a brown heavy mist. Alex’s ears are buzzing afterwards. He only realizes the nonstop, deafening sound of drilling bits working is absent when they are close to the crack he just created.“It works! They don’t turn the operation back on.” Alex tries not to breath in more dusts. “Come on, I’m sure they can manage to move everyone to the safe place before we finish here.”Miles climbs in first. The pit is dark and cold, with pipes and rigs digging deep into the ground like a metal forest. Alex can’t help but walks closer to the edge, fascinated by the black rocks and unknown chasm in front of him.“Do we need to climb down?”“Why does it sound like you are looking forward to? No, Al. Stay away from the cliffs.” Miles kneels down, murmuring something (probably insulting) about nerds before he casts the communication spell.At first nothing seems to happen, but then Alex feels her presence before he sees the shadow. It’s by no means the first time he has direct contact with THE THING, but the rest of them surely are not like this. Miles looks up and sees Alex, who is stunned by the calm shadow surrounding them both. “Come here, Al.” He mouths silently. Alex walks over to him, putting his hand on Miles’s shoulder.He hears the voice.A weeping, sorrowful, ancient one. It’s different from any kind of sounds he’s ever heard, almost like it comes from inside of his own soul. Alex is brought to tears instantly. Before he knows, he’s seized by the grief, sobbing hysterically on his knees.Suddenly, the blue ball of lightness is gone and Miles turns around, pulling him into a hug. “Sorry Al, I forgot…the first time is the worst.” Miles combs his hair soothingly. “I’ll cast a healing spell on her just through the rocks, okay? I need you to share the magic with me, can you do that?”“…yeah…I never knew, Miles.” Alex chokes back another cry, trying to calm himself. “Tell her I’m…we are sorry. Do it after we’re done.”Miles pats him on the back. “Of course.” He puts his other hand down, finger tips digging slightly into the ground. “Ready?”Before Alex can answer, a dim glow appears under Miles’ hand. He frowns slightly, concentrating on the spell. For the first couple of minutes, Miles doesn’t try to take any mojo from Alex. His face starts to lose its color when the air surrounding them begins to get darker as well. Alex grabs at Miles’ arm that’s around his shoulder, touching Miles’ palm with both of his hands.Miles fingers grips painfully around his. In a blink, his magic starts to drain out of his body. Alex swallows back an uncomfortable grunt. The dim glow soon becomes the only thing Alex’s eyes could recognize. Everywhere else is filled with pure darkness, drowning them in dead silence.“Miles,” He manages to call Miles’ name on the third try. He can’t move a single muscle in his body. “Miles… you have to stop now.”“I can’t,” Miles gives a little whimper. Dazed, Alex realizes Miles is trying to squirm out of his grip. “Let go of me, Al.”“No way.” Alex wants to be angry, but he’s too tired to do so. “I’m not going anywhere.”He can’t even tell it’s his vision that starts to get blurry or it’s the light that begins to go out. Suddenly, the support against his side is gone and Alex falls forward, realizing Miles, too, has collapsed on to the ground. The shadowy fog swallows them. Alex closes his eyes, forgetting why he has to keep them open…+
“…Al, Alex!”Alex starts from his slumber in bewildered terror, gasping for air until he recognizes the tired, smiley face belongs to Miles. His face is covered with dust and blood, owing to a fresh small cut on his cheekbone that’s probably done by a sharp stone. His bangs are soaked with sweat and stick to his forehead. Alex laughs, relieved. “You look horrible, so I’m alive.”“Thanks very much, you lazy ass. I’ve just dragged you for like, 20 meters. ” Miles helps him to stand up. Alex’s legs feel like jelly, and his back stings like someone just moved him with his back constantly on the ground. He can’t believe they’ve cured the most vicious monster in such short time. It almost feels like an absurd dream.“You aren’t out for long. A few minutes at most.” Miles explains as Alex looks around. They are just outside the fender. The whole pit is filled with black shadow, which is slowly growing higher and higher. Alex watches THE THING climbing up along the fender as if it’s a huge tube, confused. “Why is she moving like that?”“Oh, I was worried she’d go mad and attack us afterward. So,” A sheepish grin appears on Miles face. “I rewrote the healing spell, mixed with the petrification curse you wrote. It’s actually part of the old plan.”“And you forgot to tell me? Damn you, Miles! I thought she’s going to suck us both dry.” Alex says unbelievably, leaning heavily on Miles until they are basically hugging.“I know, what a greedy lady, huh? She’ll be fine in no time, but enough for us to get away.” Miles drops a kiss onto his temple. Alex can’t help but close his eyes for a second, savoring the closeness (Ever since Alex figured out his old secrets, it’s the first time that Miles has taken control instead of letting Alex kisses him passively).“Let’s go, Al. I still need to play the bad guy later.” Miles puts a small distance between them, urging Alex to move. Alex sighs, remembering the second part of the plan (That’s the part they both hate the most). Miles chuckles. “I know it’s a bummer, but don’t worry, you’re a natural actor.”“Are you sure Nick and Jamie have cleared the platform?” Miles asks. “Well, we broke in with a weapon and now the fender is filled with black smoke. They are not daft, aren’t they?” Alex assures him. “I trust them. We just need to leave before she starts to smash things.”As they are approaching the ship, Alex can’t help but turn back to have a final look at the mysterious creature. The shadow has filled the lower half of the fender. From this short of a distance, she looks enormous. Breath-taking. He hopes there’s a way to know about her without any violence involved.“Alex, come on!” Miles waves at him. Alex hurries to follow him. His strength is slowing growing back and now he doesn’t feel like he’s about to faint at any second anymore. Just as he’s about to catch up with Miles, a weird shape of rock near their ship catches his attention. Alex doesn’t remember such a rock block being there at all.Out of nowhere, a figure appears on the side of the block. It’s a tall, slender man with dark colored hair. Alex has never seen him before, but when he sees the gun the man has on hand pointing at an oblivious Miles, Alex immediately knows.Fox.“Miles get down!”He’s too weak to put on any sort of fender for them. Without hesitation, Alex flings himself forward onto Miles’ chest, pushing him out of the way.The first thing he feels is Miles’ arms around him. Alex wants to ask if he’s okay, yet something chokes him, clogging his throat.Pain is only an afterthought. But when it comes, Alex can’t even tell where it comes from. He’s floating in it, wrapped by the piecing agony that threatens to crush him completely. When he tries to scream, only more blood wells up.“Al!” Miles magic is the only thing that keeps him conscious right now. Alex coughs quietly, taking in a shaky breath. The pain is slightly lessened as Miles casts a healing spell. “It’s alright…’re going to be fine…”The figure in distance is now towering over them."Oh, Miles." The new voice is as cold as Death. Fox spits on the ground, watching them with a hint of smile on his face. Slowly he whispers.“Look at what you’ve done, my boy.”+TBC+

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Chapter 17 +For many times Alex imagines his own deaths. He also dreams about it. A lot. Even in his worst nightmares, the processes are always vague and fast, nothing like what is actually happening right now. There were no hands holding him tightly. No wet, warm breaths on his skin. No fast heart beats against his rib. No Miles. His vision blackens completely for a second, but then a spike of warmth explodes in his chest, pulling him back. Alex realizes Miles is desperately trying to suppress his trembling, doesn’t wanting to jolt the injury on Alex’s back even more. The bleeding must have stopped, but the wound is far from healed. Miles doesn’t have much strength left to cure him. It’s hard enough for him to keep Alex awake. Alex pokes at his shoulder. “Mi…” “If I were you, Mr. Turner. I’d save my breath to live for another… 5 second.” Fox mocks. He bends down, the simple motion enough to make Miles scream. “Back off!” Alex has never seen Miles so wretched and helpless. He sounds like a frightened child. “Do whatever you want with me but don’t touch him.”“I already did. It seems to me that you can’t stop me from doing anything.” Fox stands up tall, walking over to the other side. He’s wearing a suit. The creases and blood stains indicate a previous fight. Something about him scares Alex as well, and he has seen many horrible scenes.Fox looks up at the black smoke inside the fender. “What is this?”“The monster is dead.” Miles lies immediately. Fox’s face falls.Another pulse of magic is pushed into him, giving Alex enough strength to raise his head. “Miles, don’t.” Alex murmurs, seeing how white Miles’ face is. His shirt is soaked with cold sweat and Alex’s blood. Alex wants to stop Miles from wasting the last bit of his magic. However, Fox suddenly couches down beside them, grabs a handful of Alex’s long hair and pulls so hard that Alex lets out a weak scream, bending his neck up uncontrollably. The wound on his back is on fire, making the pain in his scalp a barely noticeable sting.“NO!” Miles clutches at Fox’s wrist. The man hisses and loses his grip, backing off until he’s out of reach. There’s a burning mark on his skin. Alex falls back down and immediately Miles cups the back of his head, holding him closer. “I told you not to touch him.” Says Miles, using his other arm to half lift himself up from the group.The humiliating attack and the fact of being a total burden makes Alex’s eyes blurry. It feels like the inside of his body is liquified. The shot is closer to his right-hand side and the only thing Alex can move now is his left hand. There’s no chance he can be of any use right now. Fox sneers. “You’ve learnt some tricks, Miles. Looks like you’ve also got a fool who’s willing to die for you!” His smile is nothing but horror. “I’m impressed. I wonder how you did it.” He turns to Alex, “He can’t be that good in bed, right?”“Shut up you monster.” Alex hears himself saying. The retort startles Fox, making him laugh out loud. His gun again points at them both. “My bad, Mr. Turner. Don’t know you are in such good spirits.”“How do you know where I am?” Miles asks. His hand moves down, and the overwhelming pressure inside Alex’s chest is slightly lifted. “Where’s Eva?”“Oh…she’s here. Could’ve gotten away if she’s not busy with…well,” Fox answers joyfully. “Eva, show Miles here an old face. You must have missed each other!”The arms around him becomes rigid.In the distance, two female figures are standing next to the entrance door to the weirdly shaped ship. The taller woman holds a gun against the other one’s head. There’s no need to see their faces clearly. Alex recognizes her instantly, his stomach drops. It’s Pauline.Miles lets out a sob. He’s now shaking for a different reason. Alex grips at his arm. “Miles.” Alex whispers in his ear, “You have to leave me here. We don’t have much ti—”Fox claps his hands together like a proper psycho. “I’ve kindly given you what you always wanted, Miles! But thank me later, because at the moment there’s something I need to know. See, you don’t only betray me, again and again. You turned my best servants against me and even planned this attack to ruin my life work!” He pauses. “What happened to that pathetic little boy who only knew how to cry and beg for me to not hurt his mom? You really don’t care about your mother anymore?”“Fuck you, Fox.” Miles roars. He ignores Alex’s plea and still keeps the spell working.Alex gasps as Fox points a finger at him. Fox laughs even harder, nodding to himself as everyone else is deadly silent. “On the way here, I was thinking so hard until it finally occurred to me. You! Yes…Mr. Turner. Miles here has got someone he cares about more. My boy, you lied to me. That’s why I’m unaware of your stupid little plan. I should’ve never given you the last chance, knowing you’re no good for anything. You’d only mess up and drag my other pets into hell with you.”Alex is a gentle person, sometimes too sensitive for his own good. However, right now all he wants is for Fox to shut the fuck up. Forever. He claws at Miles’ side, again trying to get Miles give up on the damn healing spell for a second. That’s when Alex realizes the gun Miles handed to him earlier is still in Miles’ pocket.Without a second thought, Alex reaches for it.“Why me?” Asks Miles feebly, totally unaware of what Ales ’s doing. It’s not only because he’s exhausted. Alex know he’s on the verge of breaking down. Miles quickly glances at the direction of Pauline but doesn’t dare to move his attention away from Fox for any longer. “What do you want from me, Fox?”“Isn’t that obvious? I want you, Miles. A magical human body that recovers from almost anything. I’ve been trapped in this shell for so long…I have more fatal diseases than a dead rat!” He screams, waving his hands all over. “My family wasted their whole lives building that damn platform, but those people decided to ditch them just because the radiation had made them useless! I was born in this Hell. Here nobody lives longer than 40! But look, a miracle happened, the monster in that pit keeps me alive! Just a tiny piece of it can do such great thing. I won’t let the people up there have it all too themselves. From the moment I saw you, I know you’d be useful. I had plans for you, so many plans…”Miles is bewildered by his rave. However, Alex shudders, feeling sick to the stomach. He knows exactly what Fox’s talking about. Swapping souls and bodies requires ancient dark magic.But it’s possible. This man wants Miles to behis vessel. “Decades of work…the hope…now you just destroyed it all! It’s only polite if I return the favour.” Fox shakes his gun. He’s gone completely mental. “Kill your boyfriend or I have Eva kill your mum.”Miles hisses as if he’s in physical pain. “No.”“Hurry up. I can’t wait for your friends to come and get me.” Fox stops smiling. “Last chance to make the choice.”Alex keeps his finger on the trigger. Miles is looking at Pauline’s direction again in pure despair while holding him. They don’t know what happened to Eva, but she’s clearly under his control again. There’s no one around that could help them and Alex can’t let this man destroy Miles. Not like this. Not in front of him.“Hand him the gun.” Alex says with his best commanding voice. His hand is too weak and shaky now, so he needs Fox to be closer. Alex lets himself slips further down to the ground so that Miles can shield more of him from Fox’s view. It snaps Miles out of his struggle. Miles turns back and stares at him in disbelief. “Al!”“Someone’s got a backbone, if not shattered already.” Fox walks over to them. “But why are you hiding, little Mister? After all those brave words—”As soon as he’s close enough, Alex pulls out the gun and aims at Fox. He leaves no time for him to even drop that disgusting bragging face. Alex thinks about all the things Miles has told him in the cave, all those years when Miles was forced to kill people, all those self-loathing and self-destructive thoughts this man has planted into Miles’s head. Alex pulls the trigger.He’s so ready to see Fox falling down on the ground, being blasted backwards by the shot and dead instantly.

But it doesn’t happen.

A long, thin strip of shadow wreathes around Fox and pulls him away. Fox shrieks as it drags him towards the pit in an abnormal fast speed. “She’s recovered.” Alex puts down the gun, groaning. He’s in so much pain that he can’t speak clearly.“Get in the ship and leave! Now!” Miles shouts at Eva and Pauline. He doesn’t even get a chance to talk to his mum. There’s a loud cracking noise behind them. Miles curses loudly, struggling to stand up. He picks Alex up. There’s no chance that he can still walk with Alex hanging on his shoulder like a sandbag. The healing spell is gone for a second as Miles staggers to their ship. Pains flushes Alex body again and he cries out, “Miles—”“No.” Miles’ voice is also trembling. “Shut up, Alex. I won’t ditch you here.”Another loud noise like thunder shakes the ground. Miles almost trips over but manages to find his balance back, holding onto a rock block. The short distance to the ship feels like forever. Alex is barely conscious when Miles lowers him to the floor, climbs over to the control screen and starts the ship.They hear the deafening sound of the magic wall falling even from inside.+ The ship is on full speed, tilting and tossing constantly as she tears down the drilling platform into pieces and carelessly. Miles holds him in silence. Alex doesn’t ask him if he’s okay, but he can feel how bad Miles is shivering. His hands are cold. Once side of his forearm is bleeding from supporting them both on the sharp rock.A drop of tear hits Alex’s cheek.“You were going to kill him.” Miles suddenly says.“He deserved it.” Alex looks for Miles’ hand. When he tries to hold it, Miles flinches like he’s been burned.“It’s the only thing that I can’t stand.” Miles whimpers and another tear falls down. “Alex, I don’t want you to kill people for me. You don’t deserve this. Fuck! Fox doesn’t deserve you to…” Alex tangles their fingers together. He’s too weak to get through an argument, and he’s had enough fights with Miles during the past 48 hours that he never wants to argue with him again. “He was going to kill me or your mum. I just wanted to protect us. It’s my choice and it’s not your fault.”Miles doesn’t answer. He fumbles on Alex back and soon another spark of magic makes it easier for Alex to breath. “Mi? Keep this going and you’ll pass out on me.” Alex grumbles. “Do you want to contact Eva—”Miles shushes him. “Later.” He says, gently touching Alex on the back of his neck.It puts Alex into an exhausted coma in just a few second.When Alex comes around, they are still in the same position on the floor. Miles is caressing his hair, deep in thoughts. Alex tries to move, but his limbs wouldn’t let him. “I can’t cure the wound.” Says Miles quietly, noticing he’s awake. “But any internal bleeding should be gone now.”Alex closes his eyes again. He’s still tired and in pain, but at least his head is clear. “How’s your mum and friends?”“Eva ditched the ship and she’s hiding with me mum in a cave. Vic will come and pick them up. Told them to hide for a few days. Fox’s ship is on autopilot, so I guess your people probably have found it already.” Miles adds. “You’re out for a bit more than an hour. We are heading to the capital city. Can be found at any moment.”Alex nods. He sees the dried blood on Miles’ wrist. “Your arm, Miles.” Alex reminds him.“That’s literally the last thing you should worry.” “There’s another thing,” Alex chuckles. “My head is on your thigh, but I didn’t realize it until now.”Miles doesn’t smile at his joke. He gets all closed off after Fox being killed by THE THING.Alex pokes at his knee, getting Miles’ full attention. “I wish I was there with you. Be your childhood friend, your best mate. I wish I’d given you the speech and hug thing back then in the cave when you told me. And I hope your mother like me…after this is over, we can visit her together if you want.” He mutters, slurring those words out altogether.“…you can’t just take a bullet for me and then propose me.” Miles caves, holding his fingers. He sighs as if there’s a lump in his throat. “What am I gonna do with you, Al?”Alex doesn’t get to answer, for there’s a strong shock hitting the ship with a great thump. The floor tilts to the left and touches the ground, followed by a second attack which brings down the right side of the ship as well. The movement jolts the bullet wound and brings tears to Alex’s eyes. “The engines are down!” Miles shouts, keeping Alex close until they stop sliding and bumping on the ground. The way Miles is handling Alex is too gentle to convince anyone even with all the blood and the wound on his back. “Drop the spell, Miles.” Alex mouths at him.“But…”“Miles, drop it now!” Alex pushes him away. Miles jumps up reluctantly and points the gun down at Alex’s head. The worried, loving expression is gone from his face as soon as the door is ripped open from outside. Matt is at the very front. He’s inside the ship before it’s even stationary.The second Matt lands his eyes on Alex, he loses all the control. “Get away from him or you won’t even have the chance to see the Judge, Kane.”“Don’t get any closer or I’ll shot him.” Miles’ voice is wavering. It’s hard for him to get into the role right now. Luckily, Matt is too mad to notice. “Oh? I’d like to see you try.” Matt snorts coldly. He’s scary good at long-distance spells. Alex barely feel the magic coming as Matt casts the restrain spell and the gun is out of Miles’ hand. In a blink, Matt approaches them. Instead of using any spells, he kicks Miles’ stomach with his knee heavily, shoving him down on the floor. “I’ll fucking kill you, you evil son of a bitch!”He hits Miles’ face with his fist. Once. Twice. Miles is in no state to put up with a fight. He just spent all he got on that healing spell to keep Alex from dying. The third time when Matt raises his hand, Alex can’t stand anymore. “Matt,” He coughs, trying to move his own arms, “That’s enough.”Matt stops. He casts another binding spell before turning back to Alex. “Al,” Matt wants to touch his shoulder, but hesitates when seeing all the blood covering Alex’ upper body. “Sorry we are late.”In the corner of his eye, Alex can see Miles nodding at him slightly. His face is bruised and the cut on his cheekbone is bleeding again. It takes every bit of self-control for Alex to not show any concern. He lets out a breath, pretending to be relieved to see the rescue team. A few more people get into the mini-ship. Alex is not expecting the second one who arrives at his side to be Alexa.“My first time in the field.” Alexa doesn’t spare her attention to anyone else. “Stay alive and pay me back, you lucky bastard.”Alex smiles at her. Alexa checks on the wound. All the pain disappears the moment she lands her hands on his back. Alexa frowns when she touches the side of Alex’s ribcage. She turns to Matt, casting a quick glance over her shoulder to an expressionless Miles.“What’s wrong?” Matt asks, face furrowing in worry. “Is Al okay?”“He’ll be fine. Give us a second.” Alexa replies. “You can let the Explorers take Miles first. I just need five more minutes.” Matt looks livid when hearing Miles’ name. “Take him to Homme’s ship.” He instructs, letting the two Explorers drag Miles up from the floor. Alex only gets a quick view of his back before Miles is taken out of the door by the Explorer Team. It reminds him of the day they first met, making his heart tremble in his chest painfully and his stomach burn with worry. “Relax, Alex.” Says Alexa in a low voice. She opens her mouth as if to say something else, but eventually decides to keep quiet. “Matt, can you get the gun? We should take it back for investigation.” “Did Kane shoot you, Al?” Matt picks up the gun. His voice is strained in a weird way. Almost too careful. Right, time to act.Alex reminds himself. I lived with a psy who used and betrayed me. “No, Fox did. He got away earlier, didn’t he?” Alex asks.Shame and frustration surface on Matt’s face. “He took off before we got into the office. We found his ship earlier, but it’s empty.”“He was at the drilling pit, us three.” Alex closes his eyes briefly. He hates what he has to say. “Fox shot me before he was dragged into the pit by THE THING. Miles works for him…” “I know. He said it himself and I saw the footage of you two in the parking lot.”Alex’s face clouds. That one still hurts. Matt is quiet for a moment. “I’m sorry about Kane, Al. He’ll get what he deserves.”“I trusted him. It’s my own fault.” Alex closes his eyes again. His lids become heavier this time. “..lex…what you doing…”“Shhhh, have some rest, Alex.” Alexa rubs his shoulder gently. “You won’t feel any pain when you wake up.” Alex is asleep before she even finishes.+The smell in the clinic is not even the first thing he notices this time. Alex takes in a breath. The air is clean.He’s back to the Upper City.Alexa’s voice makes him open his eyes. “Relax, there’s only me.”  She passes him a glass of water after Alex sits up on the bed. He takes it but doesn’t drink immediately. She shrugs. “It’s not drugged. I’m on your side.” Alex blinks, squinting at her face. “I don’t understand—”“The gun was examined and the clip was filled by Miles’ magic, his finger prints everywhere. They also found raw ingredients for magic potion in your guest bedroom. There’s footage of him hurting you in the parking lot and then there’s his little speech when he abducted you.” Alex nods. Miles must have recharged the clip when he was unconscious.“What’s your point, Alexa?” He asks, acting defensive deliberately. “That I’m stupid? I shouldn’t fall for his lies? Fine, you’re right—”“My point is, it’s the exact same model of a gun and bullet. I handled Zach’s wound with Ariella, I know what it’s like. Yes, you are good at defense spells Al. But there’s too much blood for it to be a minor injury. You were shot right in the middle of the back and it should take you at least three days to recover.” Alex’s expression must have betrayed him already. Alexa stares at him. She lets out an angry sigh, continuing to talk. “There’s barely any internal damage to your organs and not a single broken bone.” She pauses. “I told Miles about the curse in the gun and I taught him all the healing spells, Alex. I can recognize his handwork. He tried to cure you, didn’t he? You’d be super dead with an open wound untreated for nearly two hours plus that amount of blood lose. I knew it the second I checked the wound.” Alex looks at her in the eyes, puzzled. “But you didn’t tell Matt.” “No. Actually, I told everyone that it’s a miracle that you survived, and you need medical care and monitor for at least 24 hours.” Says Alexa. She sits down on a chair and waves at him. “Drink your meds. It will make you as good as new.” It seems the only thing he can do right now to avoid talking, so Alex does. “It’s about the monster, isn’t?” Alexa shakes her head wearily. “You planned this together.”Alex keeps sipping the liquid. He says nothing, panicking silently inside.“The drilling platform was destroyed completely. The west end becomes a total disaster. The bigwigs are on their way here. It may take them longer because of power system failure, but I’m not sure. Homme throws Miles in jail and they’ll bring him to trail as soon as everyone arrives, which leads me to believe you’re not going to sit around and offer your witness speech….Anyway, those are just the wild guesses I made in the past few hours waiting for you to wake up.” She pauses. “Please tell me I was wrong.” “Alexa, you have to stay out of it.” Alex puts down the empty glass, leaving a small dent on bed. He can’t tell Alexa anything, but it doesn’t seem wise to lie either. “You know there’s a chance that Miles is manipulating you into all this, right?” Asks Alexa. But she shows no intention to stop him when Alex circles the room, looking for something other than the gown to wear. “You can borrow my robe if you want.”Alex frowns incredulously. “Alexa, I can’t get you into trouble.”She stands up and reaches for the door handle. “I will walk out of this door, tell your friends to come with me to the other room for some tea and updates on your condition. When I’m back, I shall find out you’re gone. I’m too worried about where you’d go to even notice one robe has gone missing. I’ve never helped you with anything illegal.” “By the way.” She adds before turning back to leave, leaving a stunned, speechless Alex alone in the room. “James and Zach give their regards from the monitor control centre.”   +TBC+

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Chapter 18The monitor centre is James’ office. He has been working there ever since Alex first entered the building years ago. There’s no surprise that he knows every little dirty secret in the BASE.James closes the door behind him way too harshly. Alex jumps a bit, looking at the incredulous eyes of Zach, and then James’ angry ones once he turns to face him. “I knew he was trouble! The second he started asking about the damn project…I fucking knew it.”“The whole platform was torn down in to shreds. It looked awfully like Kane broke the fender, helped the monster to ruin our hard work and nearly got so many people killed.” Zach states. Alex's heart skips a beat, ye he sighs in relief as he realizes no one has been hurt- Jamie and Nick did an amazing job.James adds, “And you, my dear lord! You just have to become his partner in crime, is that right?”Alex is overwhelmed by the speech. After he sneaks out of the clinic, he walks into the monitor centre without bumping into anyone. It’s strange enough that the BASE is so empty. And now this- Alexa, James and Zach working together, revealing his secret without breaking a sweat.“I don’t understand.” Alex takes a long breath in. “Why you guys…and Alexa? I was only out for a few hours...felt like it’s been a fucking century!”Zach walks up to him while James runs to adjust the big screen at the end of the room. On either side of the room, numerous small screens are showing every corner in the BASE. “I was not assigned to rescue you, so I decided to help James analyze the footages of you two…at that point, we just found out that Miles was a spy.”“I thought it's weird that you were taking out a ship without any assignment, you know? Then I found it was Miles using your fingerprint ID. It was Homme that got me suspicious. He’s always fond of you, right? He had several meetings with Miles. Unrecorded ones, before all this happened. But when I reported that you were taken, he didn’t even bat a fucking eye, just gathered everyone he could and went out trying to find you, after I warned him that the set location on your ship might not be where you were truly heading.”James clicks on the screen. Shown is a report from a major Lower city, saying they has experienced an unexpected earthquake, followed by a sudden, complete cease of attacks from THE THING.“It was right after the monster destroyed the platform. It’s gone off the radar completely. I can’t trace it anywhere. No attacks. No nothing. Look!” James clicks a few times more and similar reports flush the screen. A laugh of incredulous delight leaves his body without his permission. Alex just feels so grateful to HER, and incredibly proud of Miles. Alex asks eagerly, worried. “Can I see Miles-”“Did you two planned this?” Zach cuts in with a painful question for him. “Was our last mission together part of the plan?”His question is like a slap on the face to Alex. “No! Zach, that was Fox-the guy who run a weapon factory down there. Miles would never hurt you. I’d never-”Zach interrupts him again. “I believe you. Sorry I said that...I’m just wondering when you found out the connection between the drilling project and THE THING.” Alex blinks in confusion. Suddenly, he realizes it’s an awful idea to talk at all. Miles said Homme’s the only one in BLOCK 505 who knew about the truth. What if they are wrong?The suspicion shows on his face. James stares at Alex like he’s mental. “Seriously, Turner? You are legitimately thinking we are trying to lure you to confess? Are you even a Wizard? There’s a thing called fucking truth-telling potion!”Alex blushes, embarrassed. He answers the question in a rush. “I didn’t know anything until Miles told me. It was right before we went to the pit. He could communicate with her, THE THING, using a spell. Miles believed the drilling project was hurting THE THING and if we stopped it, there would be no more attacks. Anyway, we cured her together. Homme helped with the planning, but in exchange Miles was going to take all the blame. I agreed to play along because me and Miles, we had a new deal- I’ll get him out when we get back.”“Fuck, we nailed it! Zach and I were confused as hell when Chuang suddenly came to my office, asking if there’s anything unusual happening in the Lower cities after you were settled. Thanks to her, we placed all those together. God, you really are that ruthless, Alex? Have you even considered the consequences? Nobody would believe you. Kane can fucking talk to the monster. They could easily say he was behind all those, controlling her-” “But you saw what happened! The drilling platform was clearly connected to those attacks…and there are people here in the Upper City who know it all along. We have the evidence and we know who’s behind all these…there must be a way to make him confess directly in broadcast!” Alex argues. Then it occurs to him that standing in front of him is the guy who knows everything about computers and technology stuff. “James, you can help us! Don’t you want to stop people from getting hurt?”James frowns, saying nothing. Alex turns back to look at Zach, and his friend gives him a deadly serious nod. “I’m in.” “Don’t be stupid.” James snorts. “If we fail, we all go to hell. Homme knows, right? And he chose to let Kane do the dirty work. Doesn’t it scream dangerous to you? Whoever is behind this must be so hard to get that even Homme has to-”“It’s the Major. And half of the court knows as well.” Alex tells him, suddenly realizing what he was just asking from his friends. “You’re right, it’s way too dangerous. I’ll figure out a way myself…just forget it, alright? I’ll go-”Alex’s already regretted wasting too much time burdening his friends. Besides, he really needs to get to Miles’ side immediately.

“Wait, so who’s your other helper?” He's just about to go when Zach stops him before Alex can open the door. “What?”“You just woke up.” James asks solemnly. “So, who’s the one that freed Kane from jail earlier?”+Alex feels the floor tilts beneath his feet for a second. “No way.” His voice shakes violently. “Show me the footage.”“Alex-”“Show me now!” He snaps, crossing the room in no time, followed by a stunned Zach. James follows the command. When Alex sees what’s on the screen, he almost has a heart attack. The camera catches someone in a black cloak, face uncaptured, hands in gloves, walking towards the entrance of the jail. He's small, probably around the same height as Alex. Apparently, this person knows exactly where the cameras are and therefore avoided them perfectly. Cam Avery was guarding the jail, but he seemed to know about the person approaching. He took the drink the person offered without a blink, falling onto the ground instantly after taking a sip. The video ends.James straightens up from over the control panel. “That potion screwed Avery’s memories really bad. This man shut down the monitors afterwards and Miles was gone. Just like that.”Zach gasps quietly in surprise. “It was not you?” Alex can’t stay for one more second. “When was this?” “About two hours ago.”“I have to go.” He murmurs, more to himself than to anyone. “I need to see Homme right now.”It turns out that Homme is among the people who’re waiting in the clinic for him. When Alex comes in, Matt and Taylor both stand up, worried and relieved at the same time. Alexa is standing on the side, leaning against the wall, while Homme sits perfectly still on his seat across the room. Matt grabs at his shoulder angrily. “Al, what the fuck! Where have you been?” Alex ignores him. He bats away Taylor’s hands that are about to support him as well, walking straight up to Homme. “Where is he?”“Alex, I’m glad that you are awake.” Homme says calmly, eyeing him up and down. There’s an edge to his voice that adds threats on top of concern. “I know you must be confused. But don’t run away like this anymore. It’s very dangerous.”“Don’t play fool with me right now. I know it’s you! Where’s Miles?”“Kane escaped from prison. But don’t worry. I’ve sent out everyone to search for him.” Alex feels ice in his veins. That’s why the BASE is so damn empty. “Why are you doing this?” Alex shouts, his magic losing control all at once. The light in the room flickers as he grabs Homme’s collar, pulling him up. Alex’s view is all blurry from rage, worry and fear. “I care for you, Alex… maybe even too much. I gave Kane a pass and citizenship, completely oblivious to his intensions. I let him on missions and it’s partly my fault that he got his hands on you. Therefore, I’m giving my best to take care of it.” “Fuck it, you know exactly why he did-”“Alex Turner.” Homme squeezes his hands with such force that Alex has to let go of him, backing off. “I am your Commander. I will let this slip only because you just woke up and don’t know what you’re talking about.”“Oh, really? How nice of you, Sir.” He lets out a strangled, ugly noise, knowing Homme can’t care less about Miles’ life. He must have sent someone to free Miles intentionally, making sure he’s now a criminal on the run. “Fine. I’ll go search him myself.”“I’m afraid that it’s not possible. Matt here will stay and keep you company.” Homme stands up fully and walks towards the exit. “I’ve informed Mr. and Mrs. Turner and they are on their way here. I believe now it’s better for you to surround yourself with someone that you can trust. Have some rest, Alex. I may persuade them to spare you from the trail.”He leaves without another word. Alex is frozen on spot, having a hard time believing Homme could take such a low blow and brings his parents into this mess. He only realizes how badly he’s shaking when Taylor touches him again, this time on the shoulder. “Alex, dear… it’s alright. You’re safe now.”“What is that all about?” Matt asks in a low voice. He also seems to lose the ability to move.“I…” He feels all of a sudden that there’s not enough oxygen in the room. “Let me handle him.” Alexa finally leaves the wall, walking over to them. She touches his other shoulder to cast a calming spell, and orders them to wait outside as she leads Alex back to the treatment room. “Alex, breath.” Alexa commands firmly when they are alone in the room. She’s also puzzled. “You didn’t help Miles to get out? I thought…but why would Homme want him to get away? It will be counted as his malpractice.”“He doesn’t want Miles to get away.” A broken, frustrated moan leaves his mouth. Alex closes his eyes, desperately trying to find a way. “He wants him to stick to the original plan and be the scapegoat.”Alex’s not only furious because of Homme, but he’s also angry at Miles, who has promised that they’d face this together. The anger is replaced by worry once he thinks of the possibility that Miles might not be leaving willingly. What if Homme threatens Miles with Alex’s safety? Or worse, what if he drugs or curses Miles and orders him to do something stupid?All those scary ideas cross his mind, leaving Alex no chance for “a better way”. “Alexa, I’m so sorry, but I really need you to call Matt in right now, okay? I have no time to waste.” Alex stands up, determined. She understands his intention the moment Alex walks into her personal space. “Alex, you don’t have to do it alone. Let me help you. Zach and James know as well, we’ll find a way…” She pleas, “There’s no going back from it.”Alex smiles sadly at her. Maybe Zach is right- he and Miles are pretty similar after all. "I don't want to drag you into this." He replies in a low voice. “Don’t tell Matt anything, okay?”+“Al, you’re out of your mind!” Matt struggles in the magic bond, a hurtful look on his face. Alexa turns her head away, trying to hide any emotions. Hearing the noise, Taylor runs into the room, only to be caught by a waiting spell. Alex makes sure they all sit comfortably against the wall on the floor, whispering apologizes while Matt yells at him. A quiet thanks for Alexa. Taylor is the hardest for him, not because she is crying like she’s going to faint in any second, but because what she’s saying. “You are so stupid, Alex! Miles doesn’t love you, don’t you see? You’re doing exactly what he wants you to do! You’re nothing but his tool-”“Please, Taylor.” Alex shushes her, standing up. Matt calls after him. “Alex! Come on, just tell me what’s going on!”Alex has to run out of the room, otherwise he’d be crushed by guilt.When he enters the monitor room, James and Zach are waiting for him. “I found him.” James says before Alex can do anything. “Miles’s captured by the monitors near the border just now.”Alex is in front of the screen in a blink. “Where exactly?”“Here, near the west entrance.” Zach points it out on the map. Luckily, Miles is still inside BLOCK 505. He looks untouched, bruises and wounds all gone, but in clear dread. He's pacing up and down, either preparing himself for something big or waiting for someone. Alex needs to reach him before anyone else.James sneers when Alex’s magic touches his skin. “Save it Alex, I just gave you the information and it’s 100% my own will even if I'm bound.”Zach just glares at him. “I’ll go with you. Miles saved my life. I own him this one.”“If you don’t take back that daft spell nobody can put anything on the radio for you, alright? Come on, I’ll cut off all the communication signals in the BLOCK right now and ring him up for you. There’s a public receiver just to the right. If you have to, just cast me five protective spells so I can work without being disturbed, will you?”Alex is speechless for a moment. What changed your mind-he’d ask if there is more time. Instead, Alex just says thanks. “Please.” He gives up the spell, lets James work his “magic” with the computers. James’ fingers dance on the screens and keyboards. With each passing second, Alex becomes more anxious. His eyes are glued to the screen where he can see Miles being startled by the sudden beeping sound.Miles hesitates only a few seconds, but it feels like ages for Alex.“Hello-” “Miles!” The painful weight on his ribcage is slightly eased by Miles’ surprised gasp. Alex takes the receiver from James and walks over to the door with Zach. They do cast as many protective spells as they can to the monitor centre before leaving. “Listen to me, whatever you’re planning to do, don’t do it. I’m coming right now.”“Al? How- no, you can’t come here!” Miles sounds panicked. There’s a weird hint of hostility in his voice which Alex fails to notice. “Just leave me alone-”“No, fuck! You have promised, Miles!” Alex follows Zach closely, heading towards the parking lot. “I’m getting a ship right now. Wait for me, alright?”He cuts off the line. Zach is slightly surprised to see him not waiting for a reply. Alex calls back to the monitor centre in a hurry, asking James to check if Homme took any ship out.“He’s on one right now. Just left the BASE few mins ago.”“Is it still in remote control distance?”“Yeah…I think so.”Alex lets out a shaky long breath. “Take it down, James. Put it on emergency mode for red alert and turn off the communication system.”All ships in the BASE are equipped with excellent fender which can isolate the ship from the outside world for up to 12 hours before it runs out of magic battery. This will buy them a few hours with no Commander on the table- With no way to call for rescue, it’s impossible to break the fender from the inside with only one Wizard. This way, Homme has no choice but to wait in his ship for the rest of today.“The worst count down ever, if you ask me.” Zach smiles humorlessly when James informs them it’s all done. Alex hates to agree with him right now.+When they arrive, Miles is nowhere to be seen.Alex jumps out of the ship alone. Near the border of the BLOCK, there’re no residential areas. In front of him are giant cubic containers, holding devices that are used to generate breathable air. At the end of one cubic line is the public receiver Miles just used. Alex races to it madly, heart sinking. “Miles?” He shouts, looking around. “Miles!”A light shuffling sound has Alex turns around instinctively. He steps back, nearly losing his balance as a messy yet powerful spell hits on his fender. His attacker hides behind one of the cubes. Alex only catches a glimpse of him before he disappears again, but it makes him halt in the middle of the road completely.It’s Miles. “Mi- what you doing?” Alex shouts at his direction, his voice cracking under confusion and pain. Why is Miles trying to hurt him? James hasn’t warned them about anything, so there’s no chance that someone has gotten to Miles first. He must have chosen to hide as soon as the ship comes in sight.Alex tries again, walking towards the line of containers. That’s when he hears Miles’ voice answering, shouting back. “Don’t get any closer!”He doesn’t sound well. And when Alex takes another step forward, Miles jumps out of his hiding place with a familiar-looking gun pointing at Alex’s direction. Through camera Alex can’t tell, but now he can see clearly the flushed cheeks and damped hair of Miles. Alex is instantly wrapped in worry even though there’s a gun to his head.“Tell me…tell me something so I know it’s really you.” Miles swallows with difficulty, as if there’re needles in his throat. He looks almost scared, staring at Alex’s face in a dazed state. Alex can’t bear to see him like this. “Touch my fender.” Alex opens his arms wider, showing Miles both of his hands. “Use your magic, alright? I’ll let you in.”Miles squints in disbelief. But slowly, he lets his magic wiggles closer and this time gently pushes at Alex’s fender. As soon as the warm, tingling feeling of their bond explodes, Miles lets out a sobbing sound, arm falling back to the side of his trembling body.He is too warm to the touch. When Alex pulls him into a hug, strangely, Miles flinches like he’s afraid Alex would hurt him. He whines, although there’s not much logic to his words, “You told me to find somewhere quiet…don’t cause trouble…But I just want to see you before I do it. Al, I'm sorry…I wanna see you so bad…”Miles is definitely under the influence of some kind of magic potion (they may need a quick visit to the clinic before anything). Alex’s not really asking, just trying to keep Miles distracted so he can take the gun out of Miles’ hand. “Do what, baby?”Miles stiffens in his arms. For a second it seems he wants to break free, but then his body loses all the strength, becoming compliant again. Alex frowns, trying to feel his pulses on the neck. The gesture makes Miles whimper. “Don’t.” He begs in a tiny, scared voice. “Please, Al…please…”Once he gets it, Alex freezes himself.
Miles was about to kill himself.

Miles thought Alex had told him to kill himself.

Miles found this place because whoever drugged him also told him to die somewhere unnoticeable, and he’d be dead already if Alex hadn’t told him to wait.
“Whatever you heard…that’s not real, Miles.” He cups Miles’ head until their eyes met. “Look at me, Miles. I’m here and I want nothing bad happening to you. Nothing! Hey, eyes on me… that’s it. Do you understand me, Mi?”Miles blinks a few times, debating with himself. “I thought…but I was with you.” He cries, struggling to keep his head up. Alex grabs the barrel of the gun in desperate. Without hesitation, Alex lets down all his fender and let Miles feels his magic in its most gentle, loving form. “It’s not me! Miles, it’s not. I’d never want you to… I’ve promised I’d keep you alive, remember?”With that, Miles’ fingers loosen. Alex immediately takes the gun away. “I’m glad that you called…I don’t wanna die.” Miles whispers in Alex’s ear, as if he’s ashamed that he didn’t manage the task. The magic potion works its way in his bloodstream. Now Miles is delusional, emotionally wracked and somehow forced to be completely honest. “I want to be with you.”The confession is like a sudden blow right into the deepest, softest place in his soul. Alex chokes himself, face damped by tears before he even knows. He hugs Miles with all the strength he has, magic enveloping and protecting them both.“I’m right here.” Alex assures him. “I’ll never leave your side.” +TBC+

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Chapter 19Alex remembers vividly the day he and Alexa first met.
He was about to go on his first mission without Julian on the team. Caught by the fear of letting people down, Alex went to the clinic to fetch some meds. She was then the only Healer in the BASE who didn’t find Alex’s lack of enthusiasm in small talks rude. So Alexa greeted him.

“Nervous?” Alexa passed him the pills.

Alex stuttered, taken by surprise. “Yeah…a bit.”

“One big breath in, hold it for 3 secs- breath out! See? You are doing great.” Alexa patted him on the arm. A soothing spell was left on his skin. “Good luck with the mission.”

“Thank you.” Alex smiled at her. He was fond of her instantly. Alexa smiled back.

“I’ll be right here if you ever need me.”
She does keep that promise, even when Alex is being a stubborn knucklehead and refuses to let her help. Alexa is not that much surprised when Alex comes back in. Without any explanation, Alex releases her and silently begs her to come over with him.Alexa takes his hand and gets up from the floor, frowning slightly with an unhappy pout.Alex takes out the binding ropes Zach has, kneeling down to tie Matt up. Just in case when they are far away enough from the BLOCK, Matt can break the spell.“Alex!” Matt is getting more and more frustrated when Alex keeps ignoring him. He’s more hurt than angry. “Just tell me what the fuck is going on!”“Isn’t it obvious? He’s a traitor.” Taylor sneers bitterly, her gaze like daggers.Alex avoids eye contact and any sort of real conversation. Once he finishes, Alex holds Alexa’ arm and pulls her gently until they are out of the hearing range.Alexa shakes him off, though she still follows him. “I’m not helping with anything if you don’t let me help with everything.”“I’m sorry. You’re right, I can’t do this without you and the guys.” Alex pushes the emergency exit open. They leave the BASE through the side door where the ship is waiting. “It’s just…our chance is too thin-”The door snaps open. Alex forgets his sentences all at once, rushes in to have a look at Miles. Alexa makes a small, dreadful sound and leaps inside, staring at Miles who’s sitting unconsciously.She takes his hands as soon as they are within reach. “How-” She lips quiver. “We have this new potion still under development...I didn’t assign it to anyone!”“I think it’s Homme.” Alex says. He is boiling with rage. Zach joins them as the ship levitates from the ground.“Is it bad?” He asks. Alex is too scared to do so.Alexa heaves an angry sigh. “No, he’ll be fine. But we need to get back inside. I need to grab some meds in my office. What’s in that potion…it’s dangerous magic, still needs loads of research to be used on real people. Only Healers bases in the clinic have access to my lab. Are you sure it’s Homme?”“He must have ordered someone to do it.”Zach frowns. “There are only a few Healers in the entire BLOCK. Inside the BASE, I can think of maybe five.”“If it’s Homme’s order, whoever that was, it made no difference.” Says Alexa. “I’m worried though. It’s better if we know who else are helping him.”Alex reaches for his receiver to call James, asking for Homme’s location. His ship has landed a few minutes to the south from the BASE. “You guys come to the clinic first. I’ll go talk to him.” Alex can’t move his eyes away as Alexa takes away some effect of the potion bits by bits. He sinks his head into his hands, debating if he should at least wait for Miles to wake up.“I can go bring him back.” Zach immediately offers, “If someone sees you, they’d be suspicious, right? Go inside. I’ll be right back.”+Matt tries his best to knock some senses into his head again when they come back. However, he becomes deadly silent as soon as he recognizes who is hanging lifelessly on Alex’s shoulder.“What happened to him?” Matt asks when Alexa comes in with a few glass jars in her hands.Taylor answers nonchalantly. “Looks like someone gave him the new potion.”Alex feels a chill, the fowl skin pimples all going up. He turns back to face both of them, the truth bubbling in his throat, threating to spill. Matt glares right back, pressing for an explanation. His face has grown red with all the arguments. Taylor is looking straight at the bed behind Alex. She dodges his gaze when Alex steps forward, as if she’s frightened to see him.“I can’t explain anything, but you are free to go.” Alex stammers, abruptly too weary to handle the situation. He removes the spell on Taylor first. She reaches for the wall, grapples with the door handle to pull herself up. For a split second, it seems she wants to hold onto him. The moment escapes from Alex’s attention and she gives up very quickly.Matt doesn’t move a muscle as Alex frees him. However, Alex can tell how furious he is from his squared shoulders and balled fists. “You are not under control of any spells.”“No.” Alex admits, running his tongue over his lips nervously.Matt closes his eyes and takes in a shaky breath. “Fine. Then I’ll stay.”Taylor tears open the door. Alex looks up, and she closes the door again with a loud whomp.“You are all crazy.” She shouts, clutching at both sides of her head, and stays.Alex hesitates at their decisions. He can’t seem to find the right words to say. Fortunately, behind him, Alexa suddenly call out. “Don’t move yet!”Immediately, Alex runs to the bed. Miles blinks up at him, his eyes filled with confusion. “What-” He jerks his head aside and stares Matt and Taylor down slowly. Alexa shoves one glass jar into Alex’s hand, nudging him forward to block Miles’s view.“Give it to him. I’ll talk to them for you.” She instructs in a low voice. Alex gives her a grateful nod, sitting down on the edge of the bed.“Al-you got me out?” Miles stammers when Alex lifts his head up gently. Alex frowns at his question.“What’s the last thing you remember?”“You walked into me cell.” Miles chokes on the liquid. Alex moves the jar aside, watching with a lump in his throat as Miles coughs weakly. “I woke up in here.”“Good-I mean, it’s good that you’re with me know.” Alex curses silently as Miles casts him a questioning glance. He finishes the medicine without any more questions. Alex can’t stop staring at him, thinking about how close they have come to lose each other in the past few hours. When the jar is empty, Alex leans down abruptly and kisses him.Miles trembles beneath him, grabbing at Alex’s hair. His fingers are clumsy still and slowly begin to caress Alex’s scalp. The bitter taste of medicine fades away as Miles bites on his lower lip, sucks it in between his teeth and licks inside Alex’s mouth.Alex makes a soft sound when Miles moves away. Alex worries, sitting back up reluctantly. “How do you feel now?”Miles sits up in bed, flexing both arms. He smiles and huffs beneath breath. “Much better. What a magic kiss.”“Miles!”“Seriously. I feel good. A bit tired, but good.” Miles looks over to the closed door. “You told them?”“Alexa figured out herself. Zach and James as well. I didn’t tell Matt and Taylor though. They just happened to be here when I woke up earlier. I didn’t get you out, it’s Homme who freed you. He drugged you and- I guess he wanted to make it look like you committed suicide after everything.”Miles frowns. “No, I’m pretty sure he won’t do something like that. What, you think he found out about our plan?”“I think so. Besides, I kind of lost it when I realized what he did to you. He’d know either way.”“If Homme wanted me dead to keep you safe, he could have just killed me in jail. Why bother? I don’t think it’s him.”They are interrupted when Alex’s receiver beeps. It’s from Zach.“Alex, you have to shut down the BASE right now.” Zach said shortly. Something in his voice instantly sets off the alarm in Alex’s head.“What’s wrong? Are you alright?”“I’m okay. It’s Homme.” Zach pauses. A loud noise, and then he’s panting slightly, running. “Homme’s dead.”+There are only remnants of the ship Homme has taken when Zach arrives. The Commander lies on what used to be the door sill, his head snapped back in a weird angle, body still warm. Zach runs into Jack and Tom, both of them shocked to the core. Tom has tried to contact the court, but Zach manages to convince him it’s better to wait until they get back.“We have no clue who did it.”“…you sure Jack and Tom are not involved?”“They better. I mean, I hope so. I got Homme’s receiver and unlocked it with his thumb-don’t look like me like that!” Zach warns as Miles gives him an incredulous look. He passes it to James, who immediately starts to go through the files.Zach turns to Alex. “I don’t think it’s a good idea to welcome the ships from the west end anymore.”“Well, we can’t keep the BASE locked down forever either, don’t we? Jack and Tom are in the parking lot with their Explorers for now, but more people are coming back-”“Tell them then.”Alex stops midsentence. The second their eyes meet, Miles recoils and starts to doubt his suggestion. “I mean, Homme is murdered. There’s no way we can keep things in secret anymore. Better tell them the truth before people start to guess.”James puts an end to their useless discussion. “No need to guess anymore.” His tone is relieved yet defeated. “Here he keeps a record for everyone involved in their project. I’m sending this to everyone now. There are less people who has participated in it than we thought. Have a look, it should be on your receiver now. Five of them are on the same ship now, hurrying to BLOCK 505 for Kane’s trial. For some reason, Homme didn’t tell them Miles vanished in jail.”“Because he’s not behind it… but he knew who was!”“Yeah, looks like it could only be Andy Nicholson, who is the only one listed as ‘participant’ in BLOCK 505 besides Homme. He’s also the last person Homme contacted before he died.”Alex knows Andy. They are childhood friends. Andy’s home is only three blocks down the street. It seems that everything has to be connected with him somehow-the deaths, the creature, the people.Alex screws down the file.The mining project on the Moon, which has always been advertised as a noble task, is in fact aiming to enslave the monster discovered by a Lunar probe back during the beginning of the century. The rumour was popular back then, having scientists argue endlessly about whether the Moon is lifeless. It didn’t take long for some people to find out the unstudied magic of THE THING could power spells that had always been considered unrealistic, one of them being soul-swapping curse which in a twisted way could bless people with immortality.There is another list titled as “Testing Sample”. Alex knows those names, all of them being Chief Wizards or deputies. Followed by the record of “Julian Casablancas (failed on 26st July 2080)”, written on the last line is:

Alex David Turner (in progress)

Alex only realizes how badly he’s shaking when Miles grabs at his wrist, taking the receiver out of his hand. “Many Wizards retires at a very young age.” The voice doesn’t feel like his at the moment. “No wonder Homme had to keep me alive.”“I think he cared for you truly.” Miles whispers. It brings no solace to Alex, only to remind him that Homme is now DEAD, and the last words Alex said to him are drenched in hatred and spite.James stares at the screen. “I have like a thousand calls coming in.”“Any from the court?” Zach walks over to him, giving Alex and Miles a bit more space.Miles takes Alex’s hand and their fingers intertwine. “This is what we were after, right? We got the evidence and now it’s out for everyone to see.”“I gave the order to trap Homme. I thought he-”“There’s no way for you to know, Al. In fact, we don’t know what happened yet. Just find this guy and make him talk, alright?”Miles is right. This is no time for him to cry over his mistakes. Alex doesn’t let go of him, taking it as a source of comfort. Miles needs no words from him. He lets their magics touch and offers Alex all the closeness he desperately wants.James glances back to ask Alex for his decision. “Let me take that one.” Alex pointes at the bottom of the screen. “No, no…not that, the one from Jamie Cook.”It’s really no surprise that the voice coming out of the speaker does not belong to Jamie. “Mr. Turner,” The speaker says nonchalantly. The way he talks makes this speech sound like it’s been rehearsed for many times. “Hopefully you still remember me.”Alex doesn’t take much effort to recall where he has heard that voice. “Kevin?”“I think it’s better to let you know that we are making an emergency landing. You’ll get the coordinates for a quick meeting once we take off again. Please do receive my sincere apology for something like this to happen. It’s only fair that you’re present as we discuss it in detail.”“I’d like to know who’s included in your ‘we’.”“Isn’t it obvious? Who’re on the ships but not on this list. Luckily, we have all the great Wizards working on the platform aboard to prevent any tempest.” Kevin stops briefly. He almost sounds encouraging. “If I’m not mistaken, the demolition of the drilling platform has something to do with you.”Alex gives a harsh response. “Half of the court is on that fucking list. How do I know there aren’t any that has escaped the net?”“You can always cross-check more records and see for yourself once you’re here. Please trust my intentions. Mr. Cook lend me his receiver willingly, you can speak to him later if you want to. I’ll give you a good reason to do so, Mr. Turner. Let your technician check it for you, please. I have just contacted Earth through US54 space station. Hopefully there will be news very soon.”+The rest of the day goes on so smoothly that Alex secretly doubts it may as well be a dark joke.Homme’s death envelopes BLOCK 505 in fear and confusion. Even with the file, people are rushing back to the BASE, panicking and demanding an answer. Alex only has time to make a short speech, leaving Alexa and Zach in charge. James is kept busy taking care of incoming contacts and trying to find Andy.Alex, Miles and Matt take off to meet with people of the west end. The journey is less than 2 hours long. The first half is spent on passively answering Matt’s questions. Miles does most of the talking, while Alex just keeps thinking about Homme’s cold body in the clinic. Alex doesn’t see any sign of violence, yet Homme’s neck bone was broken. It’s unnatural how he died. Alex knows Homme and Andy both. Homme was a much better Wizard and Andy was anything but a cold-hearted killer.Matt’s agitated grump drags him back to reality. “…and you thought it’s better not to tell us? Seriously, Alex? After everything? And you, Kane. We had like a dozen of plans to kill you for abducting Al!”“It all happened too fast and none of this went on as I planned, really.” Miles shrugs. He touches his nose, giving Matt a smile. “I’m glad your plans didn’t work out either.”“Sorry for almost breaking your nose, mate.” Matt looks down, and then turns to glance at Alex. “No sorry for you though, Alex. You bastard.”Alex is only half joking when he murmurs, “It’s all my fault, innit? I do feel like something’s off though. Like someone has been waiting to put this solution into our hands just as we reached the dead end.”The smile on Miles’ face is wiped away instantly. “Eva told me Homme had left a group of people in the Lower cities not just to take over the factory, but to do weird stuff as well, collecting witnesses and so on.”“You think he’s targeted because of this?”“Don’t know. Could be anything. He’s kind of a traitor to them, wasn’t he?”Before they get out of the ship, Matt offers Alex a forceful hug. He needs to say no more.They are greeted by a circle formed by 12 ships. In the middle of that intimidating ring waiting for them are Kevin, Jamie, Nick, Lana and three other people in Commander uniform who Alex doesn’t recognize. Jamie and Nick run out to stand by Alex’s side as soon as they spot him. A small gap then separates them into two groups. Kevin flashes them a perfectly controlled smile. “Names on that list are gathered in one ship. Some of the participants are not with us, but they will be very soon. A temporary committee is formed as we want to decide what to do with those people before The Exchange Day.”“Our discussion will be broadcasted to every single resident in the Upper City. As for people down there, we’ll inform them with the newest information as best as we can.”“Why don’t you just let them hear it as well?” Miles snaps all of the sudden and to be fair, no one can blame him for losing his temper. “Is it so hard to admit that you people are no better than those who have been left behind?”“I’m sorry if you’re offended, Mr. Kane.” Says one of the Commanders with such distain that Alex wants to punch him in the face. “But it will not help us if there’s a roily sad army coming for us. The power system in the Upper City is severely damaged due to your act. If we don’t have enough electricity for air generators, everyone dies anyway-”“Shut up, will you?” Lana scorns him. “Let’s go inside and let the sensible people do the talking.”It turns out the other half of the court are not involved for a reason. Most of them are horrified by the news and want justice (if it’s not too damn late), or maybe they act like they care knowing every word is heard by thousands of people. Alex is pushed into the center of the discussion as they are all aware that it’s him who’s revealed the inhuman project and stopped it for good.They also get a reply from the space station, informing that The Exchange Day will be brought forward to be 30 hours from now. It offers to take back everyone, including people living in the Lower Cities, back down to Earth (The process may be chaotic and painful, but it’s certainly good news). They also specifically ask for people on the list to be taken back to Earth for trials and sentences.“…I suggest we let the people in the Lower cities go first.” Silence fills the ship as Alex speaks. He glimpses from the corner of his eyes that Miles’ gaze is fixed on him, hard and intense. “Open the gate, let them in. Our energy storage is enough to light up the Upper City for a month, am I right?”“It’s too dangerous! You’ll put our people in danger-”“We can set up security checks for weapons? Maybe magic users can stay down for now with our Wizards. They may help the transfer.” Kevin suggests.“I disagree.” Miles, out of all people, cuts in to retort. Sharp intakes of breath and murmurs immediately explodes.One surprised glance at his face and Alex knows what he has to say before Miles even goes there.“People who ever worked for Fox or has engaged in weapon trades can’t get up here. You’ve decided to keep those wankers in the other ship as prisoners, do you? I can think of a few places that can work as jails down there. There are much more people living on the lunar surface than in here. It takes time to do the arrests or to set up security checks. Not to mention we need to gather people from towns and cities. Not all of them have access to transportation so it may take weeks just to get to them all. Why waste the time waiting? Let people go if they are not going to help. At the same time, let’s just bring more and more people up here to fill in each spaceship sent.”The ship is packed with Inquisitors, Judges, Commanders and best Wizards the Upper City has to offer. Right here and now, Alex sees it as the biggest object of ridicule. Anger burns in his chest as they begin to really consider Miles’ proposal while ignoring him as if he becomes somewhat invisible. Miles huffs out a humourless laughter. The expression on his face hardens and becomes unreadable when he realizes people are casting surreptitious glances at him.Alex can’t find the chance to talk to him. The situation lasts until everyone agrees it’s better to start making arrangements right now. The goal is rather straightforward: To get everyone back to Earth as soon as possible. The public notice has been given before they even reach BLOCK 505, calling for people to get ready for a ride to Earth. All Wizards and some of the technicians will stay until the end, together with the interim council.“…I’ll go back down. Keep the news from the Lower cities for now if you have to.” Miles’ answer sounds unnecessarily loud as the crowd quiets down once again. “Let me do the talking for you.”+Alex waits impatiently for Nick and Jamie to finish. Fortunately, no matter how much they hate Alex for lying, they can easily tell Alex is dying to be left alone with Miles at this moment. “Alright, I’ll save this for later.” Jamie points at his nose. “Now fuck off, Turner.”He complies happily, finding Miles beside the door. “Look, Al.” He lowers his voice, sounding amused. “They act like I emanate deadly disease.”“I can’t wait to get out of here.” Alex admits. He looks out of the small window as they pass through the border of BLOCK 505. Miles offers him a wry smile. It becomes more genuine as Alex sets his mouth in a grim line.Miles touches his arm. “Why’s the long face?”“I still think they should let me talk to them, or at least do a quick interrogation instead of simply locking them in jail. I know James has caught Andy and we have the big transfer to worry, but it just feels WRONG. I can’t be the only one here! You feel it as well, don’t you?”His words are barely audible in the end. Miles frowns, his hold on Alex’s arm tightens. “I was going to ask... but it’s too good an offer to deny, Alex. I wanna get people out of danger as soon as possible. Even without THE THING going savage down there, it’s no habitable land anymore.”They speak as the same time.“You don’t have to-”“I’ll come with you.”Seemingly, Miles really has no memory of that few hours when he’s under the influence of the magic potion, when he’s dying to keep Alex by his side. As long as Miles is lucid, he finds every opportunity to push Alex away. It frustrates Alex to no end. He grumps: “I don’t have to repeat myself once again.”Miles turns his head slightly to one side, smiling widely as if Alex just said some funny joke. His eyes are soft, darkened first by hesitation, which slowly gets replaced by pure adoration. “Please do come, Alex.” Miles says. Something in his gesture changes, and the shift goes deeper than those few times when Miles has been sure of himself enough to push Alex against some wall and kiss him stupid. Alex feels it so clearly as Miles nods positively at him. “I’d love to have you with me.”+TBC+

----- CHAPTER BREAK -----

Chapter 20What puzzles Alex most is that three Majors were once in charge of the drilling project, yet every one of them has agreed it was a good idea to keep going. Miles has to remind him that there have been more than 500 hundred people over the years, working their ass off to help with the carnage. “People suck, that’s why.” He leans in to peck on Alex’s lips as they go around the corner. Even this fails to lighten Alex’s mood.Alex is banned from seeing Andy or really anyone in jail because he’s overly close to this case, being the chosen vessel and everything, apparently. He is also excluded from the interim council because they all agree it’s better that Alex puts all the effort into the transfer. The worst part though, is that they try to make Alex somewhat of a devilish giant and a freaky hero at the same time in the public announcement, adding false details of how he tore down the platform and freed the monster all by himself.“We’ll work on that as soon as the transfer goes on smoothly.” Miles seems more concerned about the immediate problems they are facing. “I better contact Eva tonight. Some new weapons ended up missing. I should double check with her before we go…Fuck, it’s going to be a nightmare.”“Sure. What about the-” Out of the blue, Miles pulls away from him. Alex looks ahead and there are his parents, standing at the end of the corridor. Penny opens her arms and for a second Alex throws every problem into the void, running towards his mum, hugging her tightly. David tries to ask about the thing they said he’d done but forgets about it when Alex also pulls him close. Realizing how childish he just acted, Alex is embarrassed when he hears Miles approaching. He turns around, surprised to find Miles has both of his hands behind his back, looking clearly overwhelmed and almost sheepish as he stops in front of them. The sight tickles the inside Alex in a mysterious way. He wants to take Miles’ head between his hands and kiss away the lost expression until he’s smiling properly.“You must be Miles.” Penny stretches her hand out for Miles to shake. She gives him an unexpected hug when Miles leans forward, rubbing briefly on his back. “Alex talked a lot about you back then when he still remembered to call us.”Alex protests. “Mum!”Miles is still flustered when he greets David. They don’t have much time to chat before Alex and Miles have to go to the conference room. Miles is much more relaxed and happier around Alex’s parents by the end of the rushed conversation. Alex can tell they like him as well. When he suggests his parents to stay at his flat, Alex realizes he has lost the key already at god knows where. “I have it.” Miles murmurs. Three pairs of perplexed eyes are on him as he fumbles at the back of his neck and takes off the necklace hidden under his collar. Alex has seen it many times. The pendant is the familiar running figure, but it is now accompanied with the key to Alex’s flat and the ring he’s given Miles as a bait. Miles passes the key to David. He waits until they are alone before putting the necklace back (with the ring still on it), nudging Alex lightly. “I thought you knew. You know, when you put your hands around me neck?” He chuckles, trailing off at the end. Alex is instantly filled with guilt. “I wasn’t paying much attention, alright?”“Well, can’t blame you for that, la.” Miles doesn’t seem to be bothered. He laughs and pokes at Alex’s side until Alex gives in and forces a smile. Therefore, they don’t have to talk about it.+When the preparations are finished, it’s only a few hours before they have to leave for the capital city. Alexa takes pity on them and gives them a room in the shelter to rest. He’s going to waste her kindness anyway, for Alex is afraid of even closing his eyes. Every time he does, he sees the ashy face of Homme, Fox smiling coldly at him, the unyielding darkness which he couldn’t fight back-Then there’s Miles. Alex has to keep his eyes open so he can know for sure Miles is right here with him, breathing. Alive.It’s not very long before Miles wakes up as well. One second his body was perfectly still, the next moment he’s sitting on the bed. Alex also sits up. There is really no need to pretend he can fall asleep. “I had a weird dream.” Says Miles. He moves further to the wall as Alex climbs onto the single bed. “I dreamed that…you had a strange task for me to do.”The way Miles stiffens when Alex circles his arms around his waist tells Alex everything. He nuzzles at Miles’ pulse. “What did you say?”“I said-I said no.” Miles rearranges them both until Alex is basically lying on top of him. He drops a kiss on Alex’s hair. “I don’t think it’s really you.”It’s ridiculous how easy it is for Miles to reduce Alex to tears. He drops frantic kisses onto every inch of skin there he could reach until Miles flips them over and pins him down. Alex lets his guard down and immediately Miles’ magic pushes in, enveloping him with reassuring warmth. The kiss is more of an attempt to anchor each other than anything. Alex has so many things to say but not a single word seems to be appropriate. He grabs at the ring on his neck when Miles pushes up slightly to pull down his trousers. Miles makes a funny sound. It could be a little laughter, or cry. Alex can’t tell. He can’t think straight either. “Fuck, Miles-” He pants out, pulling Miles closer to moan into his mouth. Miles drops his head down onto his shoulder and Alex turns to plunge canines into his neck. He whines out soft encouragements and demands as Miles pushes his hips down, humping on Alex’s thigh while touching him. Instead of feeling exposed, Alex feels safe in his hands. Alex is still crying long after they both come down from the bliss. His fingers are cold and sweaty. Miles yelps in surprise when Alex grabs his neck in both hands. The motion is slow, gentle yet magical. Miles whispers his names brokenly as Alex rubs small circles on the warm, soft skin with his thumb. Their forehead touches.“It’s not me.” Alex tells him. There’s only so much he can do with words. Miles kisses him until Alex’s tears are dry. Then he kisses him more until they both falls into a short, unexpected yet welcomed sleep.+Eva has finished an impressive amount of work for them overnight. Alex almost feels bad for the few hours of sleep he gets. She hands over the full record of Fox’s weapon factory, detailed in every aspect. Then there’s the trading history, starting almost 20 years ago when the first weapons were made. “Most of the clients are dead. Some I’m not so sure. I have my men work on it already.” Eva shows them the last file, which is a scary long list of people who works for Fox. “Not so many worked for him willingly. When your people took over the factory, the majority of them have been locked in the basement. I tricked a few nasty ones back, one good thing for being the deputy. So now we have six people on the run and three full boxes missing. Guess where those guns went.” Miles frowns at the names. He is familiar with only half of them. “Nice one. Just keep the building as a temporal jail.” Miles disappears behind the door when someone calls for him. Alex looks around at the small office. “You said Homme gave the order to guarantee your freedom.” “Just for now. It’s like a parole for people like me.” Eva shrugs. “Don’t worry. We’ll face the trial with others when the time comes.”“That’s not what I mean-” Alex apologizes, then realizing she’s only joking. “Alex, I’m so sorry that I brought Homme to you guys. He found me when I was moving Pauline. I thought he still had my man, you know? I just… I’m glad that he’s a dead man. Now helping with this-it’s the least that I can do.” Judging from the expression on her face, Alex doesn’t need to be told what Fox did to Eva’s boyfriend. “When shall we inform the people that we’re moving them?” Miles comes back in, holding a stack of papers. Those are names of people living in the outer circle. It’s impossible to keep an accurate record on them. “What if we broadcast the news to all cities and begin to move people tomorrow, after the first spaceship takes off? It’s okay to start sending out ships, searching for people living in villages now.” Alex suggests. There are several spaceships working nonstop to rescue people on the Moon. A 12-hour gap is left in between two transfers intentionally for people to get in and off the ship, doing routine checks and fuel refill. “People in the Upper City can fill up no more than four of them, and many are staying to help with the transfer.” Alex explains. “We can begin to get people up there as soon as there’s free space.”Miles agrees. “You are right. Better to start off early…I bet those tiny ships we use to move people will take forever.”“Don’t you want to find out about the weapons and people first?” Asks Eva.“Well, how long will that take? Let’s just do both. We have dozens of Wizards outside. In the next 24 hours Alex can lead them to enlarge the fender around the gate, making the pass way and building whatever security checks they fancy.” Miles draws a small circle in the air, and then a much bigger one. “We already have great fenders around the cities. What about we evacuate the capital city first and move onto the rest, making the fenders the first round of security check? Load the empty ships here at the borders and off they go- to the gate.” Eva nods thoughtfully. “I know the face of Fox’s men. All the stolen weapons are unloaded. Only one of them is magic user and he’s a shitty one. I hope none of his helpers are good.”“Why would anyone help him if they know for sure that they can leave this place very soon?” Alex murmurs. Miles and Eva both give him a pitiful look. Miles smiles bitterly. “If they are sensible, maybe. Yeah…let’s just hope you’re right about this.”+The reality is, Alex can’t be more falsefully optimistic about the situation. He spends most of the day with other Wizards at the gate, tearing down the original fender, creating a cylindrical channel that’s wide enough for two ships to pass. Scanners are set in a diameter of 500 meters around the entrance, while a small attack ship is arranged inside the tunnel. The scanners are simply to doublecheck weapons, while the attack ship is here to bring down any private ships trying to sneak inside. It is stated repeatedly in the public notice that no ships other than those ones offered by the Upper City can pass through the gate. Although Alex is not particularly fond of this idea, after seeing what those guns can do, he has to admit it’s better safe than sorry.When he gets back, Alex is surprised to find the streets flushed with people dressing in rags. According to Miles, there used be a tall wall separating the outer and inner circle of the city. The few gates connecting the two circles were always guarded during the day and locked firmly at night. Now as the gates are wide open, the outer circle of the city is almost empty.Alex finds Miles in front of a window at the top floor, looking down at the people. “Did you open the gates?”“I did.” Miles answers in a strained voice. “I don’t know what I was thinking. Eva tried to reason with me but I just-They don’t even have air and water all the time on the outside, you know? I thought it’s better if we let people in. The wall was a senseless idea of Fox. Alex, I hate it so fucking much- Anyway, I just created huge amounts of extra work for Eva. We spent half of the day trying to calm people down, stop them from killing random people or smashing glass or something.”Miles hisses angrily. Alex wraps fingers around his balled hand. He sighs in defeat. “Luckily some members of the Little Flames are widely respected among the outer circle. But I know it’s going to be even messier tomorrow-”“It’s going to be a mess no matter what. I mean, we don’t find a good way to decide who goes into the ship first. There’s none.” Alex says honestly.“Thanks for the speech babe. Very encouraging indeed.” Miles rolls his eyes, but visibly relaxes a bit. He turns to the side to kiss Alex on the lips. “How’s your work?”“Can’t complain. It’s almost done.” Alex wants to fill him in on the details. However, his receiver beeps suddenly, interrupting him. Miles has his one in the pocket as well, but his is quiet. “A private message, huh?” Miles mocks lovingly. His smile vanishes when Alex spits out a swear. “What, Al? What’s wrong?”“They want me back tomorrow.” Alex shows him the message. “It’s required that I take the first ship to Earth with Kevin and all the participants for the trial.”+“It’s only a couple of days, Al.” “That’s not the point!” Alex yells furiously. “How come that you can’t go with me?”Miles is silent for a moment. He looks up hesitantly as Alex paces up and down. “Al, you do realize that I’m on the list of Fox’s employees as well, right? I’m banned from leaving the lunar surface until everyone else is gone.”Alex stares at him incredulously. “Do you even hear yourself?”“I may spend the rest of me days behind the bars. Who knows?” Miles looks down again. “I killed people.”“You don’t want to-”“Doesn’t change the fact that I did.” Miles insists. He is more worried that they may blame Alex for taking action rashly without orders. A Wizard is technically a soldier in space after all. “Let’s not argue, please. Just…go home with me?”Alex really can’t stay angry at him for very long. So, after handing over the shift, Alex trails behind Miles out of the factory and into the city centre. Miles knows the way and manages to avoid all the crowds. Hr asks if Alex still remembers that he asks to meet Pauline properly. Miles fishes the ring out from his neckline, pretends to put on it on his third finger and giggles stupidly as Alex blushes instantly. “When you come back, I’ll be waiting for you at the gate.” Miles teases, putting on a high voice.Alex laughs at him, although his own ears are still burning. “In wedding dress?”“You dream-”They are both guffawing by the time they reach the destination. It’s a grey metal door at the end of the walkway. Miles raises his hands to knock, but it opens from inside before he does. A pair of strong arms tugs Miles forward, crushing him into a tight hug. “My Miles! Oh, darling,” Says Pauline, her voice is high but soothing. “I saw- I heard him-”“It’s alright mum.You know Fox is dead. Look, I’m all good!” Miles lets out those funny sounds that Alex realizes he’d also make when Alex is upset. “And we have Alex as well! He’s always wanted to meet you.”Pauline lets Miles go, but still, her gaze follows him. Alex can see the exact moment when she realizes he’s here as well. Miles mum is a petite woman. She’s around the same age as Penny, though her hairs are grey early, probably due to the life down here. Pauline looks at Alex up and down, and he almost feels as nervous as during his first mission.“Alex!” She gestures him to come closer and gives him a brief hug as well. Her hands are warm and gentle. There is a comforting similarity between hers and Miles’ hands. “I remembered. How are you, love? You were hurt pretty badly last time. That was you, right? Oh please, do come in…”Miles pushes the door open with his shoulder, holding small biscuits and tea. There is a fresh red mark on his forehead. He notices Alex’s questioning gaze and smiles, dropping the tray down on the floor. “I was joking, saying you’re just my mate and see if she buys it.”“She smacked some senses into you?” Alex asks amusingly, picking up a biscuit. They just had a late dinner with Pauline and she really manages to make Alex feel truly at home. Despite of Miles’ constant protects, Pauline shows Alex all those stupidly adorable pictures of baby Miles she can find. He’d never think of a mushroom Miles himself- Alex can always use it for blackmail.“Clearly now she loves you more.” Miles murmurs. He looks around the room, pointing out the few personal pieces. “I have this bedding since I was 5. It’s the only thing I brought moving to here.” Alex looks at it carefully. “You like wrestling?”“Don’t know. I guess so. I haven’t seen a proper match, but I read it somewhere and thought it was pretty cool.”A bed and a wardrobe, that’s really all the furniture Miles has. “Here used to be packed with stuff. I got rid of everything Fox gifted me throughout the years.” Miles explains. “Trust me, now the room made me feel the best.”Hearing those still leaves a bitter taste in Alex’s mouth. They sit side by side on the floor, talk a bit more about today’s work. Alex discusses Homme’s last orders with Miles and they both agree that his death is connected to what has been happening in the Lower cities. Homme might even see it coming beforehand.Neither of them wants to talk about tomorrow just yet. “I feel stupid bringing it up when there’s so much happening, you know what I mean? I… I really can’t care less about what they want. I just don’t want you to go.” Miles says abruptly. They are lying on his bed, facing each other. Alex understands him perfectly- he can’t help himself either.Using a small voice, Alex tells him. “Back in the cave when I decided to go with you, I was thinking it might take a long time for me to forgive you. For us to get over what we’ve said and done to each other, really. But now all I want is to stay with you.”Miles lowers his head, moves down and closer until he’s tucked under Alex’s chin. His long finger moves idly on Alex’s chest. “This is the cheesiest relationship I’ve ever been in.” He taunts, lying his hand flat above Alex’s beating heart. “I could spend the rest of my life in jail gratefully knowing you are safe and happy.”“Picture me being happy with you rotting in some box of a room,” Alex laughs humourlessly. “Come on Miles, I won’t let it happen.”“Okay, then it doesn’t happen. You come back and we catch the bad guys, finish the transfer together and people on Earth are kind and sweet, deciding to let me walk free. What are you going to do then?” “I don’t know…I want learn to play the guitar.” Alex smiles. “We used to dream about being in a band. Me, Matt, Nick and Jamie. We’d imagine that on the way to our missions.”“You’d make a great rock star, look at you.” Miles lifts his head to licks at Alex’s chin. He has Alex laugh till tears come to his eyes. He tries so hard to stay awake the whole night but dozes off eventually near the morning light, arms and legs tangled with Miles’. Alex doesn’t remember much about what they have said exactly, but that night has surely become the one that he thinks of the most in the following years. He’d think of Miles’ smile and touches. Sometimes the memory brings him down in distress, sometimes it saves him from the agony of solitude. At that time, Alex has no clue. He wakes up to Miles in his arms. They leave the flat together with Pauline and Alex has promised Miles again and again he’d take care of his mom.A strange fear grabs him as they are about to part, making Alex step forward and kiss Miles one last time before he leaves. “You can still see me from Earth, you know.” He feels Miles’ smile on his own lips.Alex agrees. “An undying light at night.” He closes his eyes briefly, imagining the silvery, chilling moonlight. He’s never seen it before. Miles pushes Alex backward, reluctantly urging him to go. “Love you, Al.” Miles looks at him deeply, lowering his voice as if it’s a secret. His eyes are warm and sun-like. “Come back soon, will you?”Alex nods and assures him. “Of course.”  Many promises he’s made to Miles.Alex intends to keep all of them. +END+

----- CHAPTER BREAK -----

Epilogue+ “I’m going back to 505.”Alex has the answer ready before Alexa even opens her mouth to ask. “I knew you’d say that.” She replies, a sad smile on her face. Alexa gestures at the window on the side where they can see people gradually gathering in the corridor. “Are you still coming to the party then?” She frowns at the word party as if she just witnesses a bug falling in the soup. “Never mind. I’m not even going myself.”She notices the pile of essays on Alex’s desk. “Just leave those until the holiday’s over. If anyone’s paper disappears, give it a fail.”“Don’t be daft.” He says, wagging his finger at the door playfully. “I don’t want to have students crying for mercy at my door.”Soon the building is empty. Alex sits down on his chair, holding the tea he’s just made in the common room. His office is at the end of the corridor, the room that gets to enjoy the last bits of sunlight at this time of the year. Two large bookshelves take up a whole piece of the wall on the left, while on the right sits Alex’s working desk. The wall facing the door is the only one that has a window. Alex doesn’t have any furniture to block the view. He loves to watch the sun disappearing beyond the horizon.Taking another sip of his tea, Alex conjures up the first essay to read. Usually he waits until the night falls, and then he shall leave with the Moon being his companion if the weather is right. Today, despite being the last workday of the semester, is no difference.Summer break starts officially on Wednesday, and Alex has already booked a Thursday ticket to the Moon. As usual, his luggage is packed weeks in advance. Matt will drive him to the airport. He gets to sit among tourists and lunar residences, trying his best to blend in, making sure no one recognizes him as the last Chief Wizard of the Moon Base.Tonight, he feels the torture of loneliness more than ever. There was a time when he managed to convince himself that it’s okay to let things go, to enjoy life and explore this new world around him. That, though, didn’t last long enough for Alex to stop cringing every time he looks up to the sky.Knowing he won’t be able to get much more work done tonight, Alex shoves the rest of the papers in his backpack. As he leaves the building behind, Alex lights a cigarette, inhaling deeply. The silvery light from the sky falls into his eyes, reminds him-

It’s been nearly 7 years since Alex last saw Miles Kane.

The name stirs up a painful twitch of what’s left inside him. It feels more like a distant, faded memory than anything else. To this point Alex is almost certain that it doesn’t matter anymore, but still he can’t seem to give up…just because.The Moon gazes at him gently as he walks away.+FIN+