Not Without Him
625 Words
The station shook.
Lights. Dust. Gunfire. Three black-clad agents dropped in like shadows with red visors glowing in the dark. Armed and fast.
Zane ducked behind a pillar, heart in his throat.
“I take it back! I don’t wanna be involved!” he shouted.
Soleil stepped in front of him without hesitation.
Power in her blood shimmered gold under her skin, rising like heatwaves. Her nose was bleeding, but she didn’t wipe it.
Noctis stood beside her, expression blank—eyes glowing, hands already slick with red energy curling around his fingers like claws.
“Stay behind us,” he told Zane. “No matter what.”
Zane’s voice shook. “Dude, I’m literally just a guy with a D in physics. I can’t—”
“You don’t have to fight,” Soleil said gently, “you just have to stay alive.”
The first agent charged.
Silent. Fast. Deadly.
Soleil raised her hand—BOOM! A wave of golden energy exploded from her palm, catching him mid-run and launching him into the far wall. He didn’t get back up.
But the second agent was already behind her—darting toward Zane.
“NO!” Noctis yelled.
He moved faster than he thought possible—blood trailing behind him like ribbons—WHACK! His blade met the agent's dagger mid-air. Sparks flew. The two locked eyes.
Noctis gritted his teeth. “You’re not touching him.”
The agent kicked him back. Noctis hit a beam hard—but he didn’t fall.
His blood floated, shaped into two blades now.
He darted forward again, this time going for the legs. The agent twisted, dodged, but caught one slice. Hissed in pain.
Meanwhile, a third agent had climbed onto the broken second floor of the station—sniper.
He locked eyes on Zane. Laser aimed.
Soleil turned—sensed it.
No time to think.
She sprinted. “ZANE—GET DOWN!”
Zane dropped. Soleil jumped in front of him—
CRACK!
The bullet hit her shoulder. She screamed but didn’t fall. Gold light burst out of the wound like a flare.
“Soleil!” Zane scrambled to her, panicking. “You’re—oh my god, you’re—”
“I’m fine,” she gasped through the pain. “Just a scratch.”
(It wasn’t just a scratch.)
Blood poured down her arm, but she stood, holding herself between him and the danger.
She looked him dead in the eyes. “You don’t run. Got it?”
Zane, shaking, nodded.
Back to Noctis.
He took a deep breath. The blood responded instantly, surrounding him like armor.
The second agent came at him again—this time faster, stronger.
Noctis didn’t dodge.
He absorbed the hit, let his own blood wrap around the agent’s arm, locking him in place. Then—
BAM.
He headbutted him. Full force. Agent dropped.
Just one left—the sniper.
Kade, from behind the chaos, finally jumped in, pulling out a sleek silver disk.
“Show’s over,” he muttered.
He threw it toward the ceiling—EMP.
It exploded in a pulse of blue light. The sniper’s tech glitched, and his visor shut down completely.
Soleil lifted her arm, bleeding, but focused—her golden power surged from her palm and blasted the sniper clean off the ledge.
Silence.
Noctis breathing hard. Blood fading.
Soleil, arm wrapped, leaning against Zane who was still shaking but very much alive.
Zane looked at them both.
“You guys… are insane.”
Noctis smirked. “You should see us on a good day.”
Kade walked over, impressed. “Not bad. You might actually survive this.”
Soleil looked at him sharply. “We're not interested in surviving. We're interested in winning.”
- Writer
