CHAPTER TWENTY
Mackenzie let Jesse lean on her as they were shoved through the garage towards the elevator at the opposite end. Jesse was still clearly in pain, his jaw clenched tightly, but he was at least able to put some weight on his leg and was hobbling more than hopping, one arm around Mackenzie's shoulders as they walked. Boroslav marched behind them, barking impatiently at them when they didn't move fast enough.
Knowing that they still needed to get Boroslav's key card away from him and get away from him unscathed, Mackenzie was worried about how they might do that now. Jesse was supposed to be her backup if a fight broke out, or if Boroslav caught Mackenzie swiping his card. How could Jesse fight now with his injury? Mackenzie hoped it wouldn't come down to a fight, otherwise this whole plan was screwed.
"Keep moving!" Boroslav barked.
"Can I watch?" Vasilii asked eagerly. "I've never seen you question a prisoner before. Please?"
"This is no game, Vasilii," Boroslav replied. "This is my work. You go play elsewhere."
"Aw," Vasilii pouted, but he made no arguments.
As they approached the elevator, Jesse nudged Mackenzie in the ribs, and then jerked his chin to their right. Looking that way, Mackenzie saw a crew of three workers around a row of vehicles. They appeared to be doing mechanic work, as one was underneath the chassis of one vehicle, while the other two had gathered around the engine of another and were discussing something. One of the vehicles was a truck, with a large Thunder Gun mounted on top.
Mackenzie knew what Jesse was thinking. If they managed to get back down to the garage, they might be able to steal one of those trucks, specifically the armed one. If this was going to be an escape, they might need to dispose of anyone pursuing them. A weapon like the Thunder Gun would be invaluable.
Nodding once to show she understood, Mackenzie allowed Boroslav to steer them towards the elevator. Vasilii broke away towards the mechanics and their vehicles at an awkward jog, saying goodbye to Boroslav as he went and flashing Mackenzie a bright smile that only made her feel more disturbed.
"Where should I start with you?" Boroslav said thoughtfully as they all stepped onto the elevator. He seemed to think for a moment as he pressed the button for their destination, then regarded Mackenzie like she was a complex puzzle as the elevator began to rise. "Maybe your face? A pretty girl like you, I wonder if you are so pretty without a nose? Or maybe I should pluck out your eyes?"
"Shut your mouth," Jesse growled, still leaning on Mackenzie.
Boroslav ignored him, but his grin grew wider as he continued to stare at Mackenzie hungrily.
"No, I don't think I will take your eyes," Boroslav said conversationally. "I want you to see everything that happens. I could burn you, of course. Melt the flesh from your feet so you can't try and run. Or maybe I will simply chop them off."
As Boroslav spoke, Mackenzie glanced up towards the ceiling in the elevator. She had noticed something there reflecting the light.
A camera. A small bubble that seemed to swell out of the center of the elevator's ceiling, a black lens running all the way around, providing a 360 degree view of the area. Mackenzie only glanced at it quickly, then returned her gaze back to Boroslav, frowning.
"When you break," Boroslav began, "and you will, I wonder if Scylla will kill you. You have certainly tried her patience, pretty one. But I would like to keep you alive. You can join your fellow Diviner in the infirmary. Yes, I think I will ask Scylla to let you live. And if she agrees, I will leave your face alone. That way, you can still be the pretty one. So don't be afraid."
"You don't scare me," Mackenzie lied.
Boroslav sniggered, seeing right through her.
"Of course I do," Boroslav sneered. "You've already seen your future."
"Shut your goddamn mouth," Jesse snapped.
"Do you want another bullet in you?" Boroslav asked, bristling with anger.
"I'll take that gun and ram it down your throat if you hurt Mackenzie," Jesse threatened.
"Your threats mean nothing to me," Boroslav replied. "You mean nothing to me."
"Drop," Mackenzie said simply.
Both Boroslav and Jesse stopped squaring off with one another and stared at her in confusion.
"What?" Boroslav asked, seemingly annoyed by the nonsensical utterance.
Mackenzie glanced between Jesse and Boroslav, each as confused as the other, and then looked directly up at the camera. When she spoke, she made sure her face was perfectly visible and spoke slowly and clearly.
"Drop."
A heartbeat passed, then all of a sudden, the elevator stopped rising, coming to a sudden halt. Boroslav stumbled slightly as the lurch of the elevator tipped him a little off balance, and then he looked around in anger and confusion.
"What is-?" he began, but never finished the sentence.
The elevator fell suddenly and fast. It descended so fast, it seemed more like someone had shoved it down more than it simply fell. Jesse gasped in surprise and Boroslav yelled something in Ukrainian as the three of them suddenly felt the sensation of weightlessness. The elevator was falling so fast, there was a moment in which they all floated up into the air, disoriented and confused.
Mackenzie was the only one who was prepared, though. She allowed herself to lift off the floor, and then planted both of her feet against the wall behind her. Lining herself up, she pushed as hard as she could towards Boroslav. She swung her fist as hard as she could, following through on the momentum of her flying body, and her bionic fist caught Boroslav square on the jaw.
Two teeth flew out of Boroslav's mouth as his head was whipped to the side. Mackenzie didn't stop there, though. She grabbed a handful of his clothes in her fist, then continued to punch Boroslav repeatedly in the face, blood flying out of his nose and mouth with every blow from her hard, steel, fist.
Boroslav would not go down so easily though. He swung the gun he still held and connected with Mackenzie's cheek, sending her tumbling to the side. She fell against the floor, still feeling weightless as she began to float back up. Boroslav floated nearby, beginning to level his gun at her, snarling viciously.
Turning her face towards the camera, Mackenzie yelled, "Stop the lift!"
Instantly there was a loud screeching sound as the elevator's brakes kicked in and the fast descent immediately slowed. Boroslav and Jesse both fell to the floor, Jesse crying out once in pain as he landed on his wounded leg, and the gun in Boroslav's hand firing a shot as he hit the floor face-first, but the bullet whizzed harmlessly past Mackenzie and punched a hole in the wall, the thud of impact reverberating all around them.
"Ya vidrizhu sobi trakhanyy sertse!" Boroslav bellowed, scrambling to rise from the floor to his feet, blood pouring from a broken nose and more blood dribbling from his mouth.
Boroslav looked up at Mackenzie, his eyes blazing with intense fury, the longing for murder easily apparent. His teeth were bared in a vicious snarl as he began to rise to his feet, the gun still held in his hand. Mackenzie stared at those teeth, momentarily frozen as she remembered the way Lowe's blood had stained against them.
Suddenly, before Boroslav could push himself to his feet, Jesse hurled himself across the elevator and brought his elbow down hard on Boroslav's hand, crushing it against the elevator floor. Mackenzie heard a loud snap, like a handful of sticks being broken, then Boroslav roared in pain. Jesse lifted his elbow off Boroslav's broken hand and then slammed the same elbow into Boroslav's face. Boroslav instantly fell silent and slumped back to the floor, face down and completely unconscious.
Mackenzie and Jesse both lay on the floor, panting heavily from adrenaline. Jesse took the gun from Boroslav's hand and dragged himself away towards Mackenzie, staring at her in wonder.
"That was amazing," Jesse said, sounding impressed. "How'd you make the elevator do that?"
"It was SALINA," Mackenzie admitted. "Remember she told us she was able to access systems in this shuttle? I told her what to do through the security came
ra."
"Nice," Jesse replied, nodding his approval. "How'd you know she was watching?"
"I didn't. I just hoped she was."
Jesse grinned, then laughed. "Well, it paid off. There's that potential I told you about."
Mackenzie smiled awkwardly, just happy that Boroslav hadn't killed them both. She then rose to her feet and pulled Jesse up with her. Mackenzie approached Boroslav's unconscious body and began searching his pockets. It didn't take her long to find what she was looking for. She retrieved the key card from Boroslav's pocket and stood up beside Jesse again.
"Can you walk by yourself?" she asked.
"Yeah," Jesse nodded. "A bit slower than usual, but I'll manage."
Mackenzie nodded, feeling her heart racing, both from the fight with Boroslav and what she was about to do.
"I think I should go get Ileana first," she began. "After I'm off the lift, you go get Abbas and Bell. I'll move slower with her, so I should probably get a head start."
"Can you manage on your own?" Jesse asked, sounding concerned. "Maybe we should go get the others then get Ileana together."
Mackenzie shook her head. "It won't be long before people figure out something's up. Scylla might even be on her way back here now, to help interrogate me. We need to move fast and we can't waste time doubling back. I'll get Ileana and meet you in the garage. Whoever gets there first, grab a truck and wait for the others. Got it?"
Jesse nodded, then smiled and took Mackenzie's hand in his own. Squeezing her fingers, he said, "You never cease to impress me, Miller."
Mackenzie gave Jesse a small smile in return. Then she looked down at Boroslav, frowning.
"Should we, er..." Mackenzie began, not knowing how to ask the question. "Should we... You know? Kill him?"
Jesse scowled down at Boroslav, letting go of Mackenzie's hand. "I want to. Believe me, I really want to. For Lowe, for Ileana, for everything he's done. But if we kill him like this, we're no better than he is."
"What if he wakes up?" Mackenzie asked, unsure if she was just asking a simple question or arguing a case for putting a bullet in the back of Boroslav's skull.
"Tell SALINA to lock the elevator doors once we're out," Jesse suggested. "If he does wake up before we get out of here, he won't be able to stop us. I'll take Abbas and Bell down to the garage in one of the other elevators."
Mackenzie nodded, a little relieved that Jesse was against murdering an unconscious man.
"SALINA," Mackenzie began, looking up to the security camera. "Can you take the elevator to the floor with the infirmary? Once I get out, take Jesse to the floor holding our friends. When he's off, make sure Boroslav can't get out. Lock the doors, shut down the elevator, just make sure he can't get out and stop us from leaving. Understand?"
Of course, SALINA couldn't reply, but when the elevator started moving on its own, Mackenzie took that as confirmation SALINA got the message.
"You should take the gun," Jesse said, holding it out for Mackenzie. "You'll be by yourself, trying to move a paraplegic. You'll need something to defend yourself."
Mackenzie nodded, carefully taking the gun from Jesse's hand. The elevator slowed and stopped, the doors opening to reveal the corridor leading to the infirmary. Mackenzie took a deep breath as she looked down the length of the corridor, to where Ileana was being held captive, unaware that a rescue attempt was underway. Forcing herself to smile, Mackenzie turned to Jesse, hoping that her face didn't look as worried as she felt.
"No going back now, right?" she said, attempting to sound nonchalant.
Jesse placed a comforting hand on her shoulder. Mackenzie was suddenly aware of how closely they stood together.
"Don't worry," Jesse said encouragingly. "You've got this. I'll see you soon."
Nodding, trying to hold on to that encouragement, Mackenzie walked out of the elevator and into the corridor. She turned back as she heard the elevator doors sliding closed, just in time to see Jesse giving her one last smile before the doors separated them. Mackenzie hoped she would see him smiling at her like that again.
Turning her mind to the task at hand, Mackenzie quickly checked the gun to make sure there were still rounds in the magazine. Once she was sure she had a fully functioning weapon, she started down the corridor at a light jog, heading towards the infirmary.
Jesse heard the ping of the elevator as it arrived on the floor that had previously been his prison. The doors slid open and Jesse glanced down at Boroslav, making sure he was still out cold. Scowling at the bastard who had killed Lowe, Jesse took a moment to spit on him, then limped out of the elevator. He didn't look back as he heard the doors close, confident that SALINA would make sure Boroslav would be in there for a while.
Despite his injury, it didn't take Jesse long to hobble his way to Abbas and Bell. When Jesse opened the door to the cells and they saw him coming, they immediately reacted with shock at the sight of his bloody, bandaged, leg.
"What happened?" Abbas asked hurriedly. "Are you all right?"
"What about Mackenzie?" Bell asked.
"I'm fine," Jesse grinned, ignoring the throbbing and burning pain in his thigh. "And Mackenzie's fine too. She took down Boroslav herself."
Abbas' eyes widened at this. "Really?"
"Woo!" Bell shrieked excitedly, pumping a fist in the air. "Girl power, bitches!"
Jesse pulled the key card out of his pocket and touched it to the panel beside Abbas' cell, the door opening instantly. Jesse then turned to Bell and let her out too.
"She's getting Ileana?" Abbas asked.
"Yeah," Jesse nodded. "She said to go straight to the garage, though. If she doesn't beat us there, we grab a truck and wait for her. We saw some armored vehicles down there before, three mechanics working on them. I didn't see any weapons on them, so we should be able to take them down if we have to."
"Shouldn't we help Mackenzie?" Abbas asked, sounding worried.
"You don't give her enough credit," Jesse grinned. "She can handle herself. Besides, if we change the plan now, we risk screwing things up. So come on, let's move!"
Jesse turned and started making his way back towards the elevators, Abbas and Bell following behind him, but as they approached the cell-bay doors, they suddenly opened themselves. Jesse, Abbas and Bell all froze when they saw someone walking through, who stopped suddenly when she saw the three of them out of their cells.
"Wha-?" Min-Hee gasped. She was holding a tray of bowls. She had evidently thought to provide them with more food, but hadn't expected to see them roaming free.
Jesse, Abbas and Bell stared at Min-Hee, who stared back at them. No one spoke. No one moved. Until, after a long and nerve-wracking minute, Min-Hee glanced over her shoulder. Then she looked back at the three escaping prisoners. She then stepped aside and jerked her head over her shoulder, gesturing towards the elevators.
"Go," she whispered. "Hurry."
After only a heartbeat of confused hesitation, Jesse walked past Min-Hee, followed by Abbas. Bell brought up the rear and, as she passed Min-Hee, offered a whispered, but grateful, "Thank you."
Min-Hee nodded once, watching them as they all stepped into the elevator she had just arrived in, staring at them until the doors closed.
Mackenzie stepped into the infirmary to find it was mostly dark. Only a dim light filled the room, as though it was in a perpetual state of night-time. Keeping the gun ready, holding it in both hands, Mackenzie carefully looked around the room. She hadn't seen any medical staff during her brief stay the previous night, but now was not the time to assume anything. She did not need some nurse screaming for help, or a doctor trying to wrestle the gun away from her, or any combination of disasters that could occur if she was spotted.
It appeared as though no one was there, though. Mackenzie supposed care for the ill wasn't one of Scylla's top priorities.
Stepping farther into the poorly lit room, Mackenzie saw Ileana, right where she had been last night. Her eyes were closed as she lay on the
bed, like she was sleeping. Mackenzie hurried over to her, lowering the gun to her side as she moved.
"Ileana!" Mackenzie whispered urgently. "Ileana!"
Ileana opened her eyes and looked up into Mackenzie's with surprise.
"Mackenzie?" she whispered back. "What are you doing here? Are you hurt again?"
"No," Mackenzie replied. "We're getting out of here. And I'm taking you with us."
Ileana's eyes widened slightly, but she seemed dubious. "You can't just walk out of this place, Mackenzie. There are guards, and Boroslav..."
"Boroslav is taken care of," Mackenzie said. "But we have to go now. We don't have a lot of time."
Without waiting for Ileana to reply, Mackenzie slid an arm under Ileana's shoulders and attempted to lift her into a sitting position.
"Mackenzie, what are you-?" Ileana began, but suddenly broke off. Then she shouted, "Look out!"
Mackenzie turned her head in time to see someone rush at her, a shrill shrieking sound penetrating her ears. Before she had time to react, Vasilii charged into her and slammed her against the metal bedside table. Mackenzie cried out as a sharp pain knifed into her lower back where the corner of the table had struck her, but didn't have time to think about it as Vasilii started flailing maniacally against her, attacking like a wild animal, thrashing and clawing and shrieking all the while.
Mackenzie tried to shove Vasilii off of her, but despite his frail appearance, he was strengthened by a primal urge to attack and would not budge. Mackenzie tried to raise the gun between them, but Vasilii grabbed her arm and, snarling and shrieking, bit down on her wrist until blood ran between his teeth and Mackenzie screamed in pain.
"Get off her!" Ileana was shouting.
Vasilii bit harder and harder until Mackenzie couldn't help but let go of the gun. It fell to the floor where, whether intentionally or not, Vasilii kicked it across the smooth floor.
Forcing herself to do something, Mackenzie managed to raise one knee between her and Vasilii's bodies. Then she pushed with all her strength, sending Vasilii sprawling backwards. He fell onto his back and, still shrieking his high-pitched, gasping, shriek, he began to climb back to his feet.
"Stay down, Vasilii," Mackenzie panted, holding one hand over her bleeding wrist. "We're leaving."
"What did you do with Mikhail?" Vasilii screamed shrilly. "Where is he?"
Before Mackenzie could reply, Vasilii rushed at her again. She tried to grab him, but his momentum carried them both back into the metal table, then as they struggled with one another, they tumbled over the empty bed beside Ileana's and fell to the floor in a writhing mess of arms and legs, dragging sheets and pillows down with them.
Vasilii scrambled up and sat on top of Mackenzie's stomach, pinning her to the floor. He then began pounding his fists down on her, hitting her chest, shoulders, arms, face, neck, anything he could reach, shrieking wildly.
"Bad!" he screeched. "Bad! Bad! Bad!"
Ileana was screaming at Vasilii to stop and Mackenzie was trying to shield her face with her arms.
A sudden surge of adrenaline and the human instinct to survive kicked in and Mackenzie thrust one fists upward and caught Vasilii in the throat, just the same as she had once seen Jesse Greaves do. Vasilii gasped and his eyes bulged as his airways were momentarily closed and he stopped pummelling Mackenzie to grab at his own neck. Mackenzie took the opportunity to quickly raise one leg and knee Vasilii hard between the legs. Vasilii's eyes bulged further and he groaned loudly. Mackenzie shoved him back and he fell off of her, gasping and moaning.
Panting hard, Mackenzie began to stand, but Vasilii was still enraged. He kicked out at her and hit her hard in the ankle. Mackenzie cried out in pain and fell back to the floor beside Vasilii. An instant later, Mackenzie felt him close the fingers of one hand around her throat, beginning to choke the life out of her.
"Bad," Vasilii hissed, his face twitching uncontrollably. "Bad!"
Mackenzie grabbed at his hand, trying to force it away, but Vasilii's surprising strength was too much. Mackenzie began to kick wildly, trying to shake Vasilii off, but he held firm. Without thinking, Mackenzie began to feel around blindly, reaching for something, anything, that she could use as a weapon. She longed for the gun to find its way into her hand, but she knew it had been kicked too far away. Still, she felt around, her fingernails clawing at the floor while Ileana screamed at Vasilii to stop. When Mackenzie's fingers finally closed around something, she realized it was only a fallen pillow.
The room was beginning to grow dark as Vasilii tightened his grip around Mackenzie's throat. Letting go of the pillow, Mackenzie clawed at Vasilii's hand again, trying to force it away.
Her bionic hand found its way under Vasilii's pinky finger all of a sudden. Mackenzie pried it away from her throat and held it tightly. Then, without even thinking about it, she twisted his finger as hard as she could.
There was a snap that echoed in Mackenzie's ears, followed by a loud shriek of pain. Vasilii pulled his hand away from Mackenzie's throat, clutching his broken finger, while Mackenzie gasped in a lungful of air and immediately began to cough loud, body-shaking, coughs.
Vasilii was still screaming in pain, writhing on his back on the floor, clutching his broken finger, tears streaming from his eyes. Mackenzie knew he would come at her again the moment he got over the pain in his hand. He wouldn't stop until she was dead. So, reaching blindly around her once more, keeping her eyes on Vasilii, Mackenzie snatched up the pillow.
Throwing herself on top of Vasilii, Mackenzie sat on his chest and pinned his arms down with her knees. Vasilii shrieked in pain and anger, struggling to reach up and grab Mackenzie, but her knees kept his hands away from her. In the next instant, Mackenzie pushed the pillow down on Vasilii's face.
Vasilii's screams were instantly muffled, but Mackenzie heard them turn from anger, to surprise, then fear. Vasilii kicked and bucked, trying to shake Mackenzie off. His hands reached for the pillow, but the way Mackenzie had pinned his arms, he couldn't reach. He flailed wildly, his muffled screams boring through Mackenzie's ears and straight to her soul.
"Stop," Mackenzie whispered, realizing she was begging. "Please. Just stop!"
But Vasilii wouldn't stop. He still kicked and clawed and thrashed, but he was unable to shake Mackenzie off. Until the fight began to slowly drain out of him. His arms began to go limp. He stopped kicking. His screams died in his throat. Mackenzie still held the pillow over his face, tears beginning to burn in her eyes, but she knew she had no choice.
Finally, Vasilii stopped fighting. He fell limp beneath Mackenzie and there were no more screams.
Mackenzie kept the pillow down over Vasilii's face for a while longer, panting heavily, her throat aching, her eyes burning. Then she slowly lifted the pillow away from Vasilii's face.
Vasilii stared up at her with glassy, vacant eyes. Mackenzie swore they looked judgmental, accusing. Vasilii's mouth was open wide, his final scream of fear frozen on his face as he died.
"Oh God," Mackenzie whispered, dropping the pillow aside and bringing her hands up to her mouth in horror. "Oh God. Oh God. Oh God."
Mackenzie scrambled off of Vasilii's body and crawled backwards until her back hit the wall. She then drew her knees up to her chest and hugged her legs, staring at the boy she had just killed, rocking back and forth, her eyes wide.
"Oh God," she said again. "I killed him. I killed him. Oh God, what have I done?"
"Mackenzie," Ileana's voice whispered from nearby. "You did what you had to do. It was him or you."
"But I... But..." Mackenzie stammered, feeling like she was about to be sick. "I killed him. I didn't have to kill him, did I? I could have... I could have..."
"You saw what he was like," Ileana insisted. "He wasn't going to stop until you were dead. You had no choice."
Mackenzie nodded, still rocking on the floor, but she wasn't certain. She couldn't help but wonder if there was another way, something she missed, or if Vasili
i lay dead on the floor now because a part of Mackenzie had wanted to kill him. The idea made her gag and she covered her mouth with one hand, squeezing her eyes shut tight so she wouldn't have to look at Vasilii's body anymore. Her body shook with the effort it took to not throw up.
"You need to get out of here, Mackenzie," Ileana said. "Boroslav won't be happy about this. If you think he's sadistic now, wait until he finds out Vasilii's dead."
Mackenzie suddenly remembered why she had come to the infirmary. Glancing one more time at Vasilii's body, into his vacant eyes, Mackenzie forced herself to her feet and quickly ran to Ileana's side.
"Come on," Mackenzie whispered. "I'm getting you out of here."
Mackenzie slid an arm beneath Ileana's shoulders and her other arm under Ileana's legs. She was about to lift her off the bed when Ileana started shaking her head.
"No," Ileana said firmly. "You can't take me with you."
"I can and I will," Mackenzie said firmly. "I won't leave you to live like this."
"Why?" Ileana demanded, sounding angry and impatient. "You don't owe me anything."
"What they've done to you is terrible!" Mackenzie hissed, scarcely believing Ileana was acting like this. "You're coming with me."
"Don't kid yourself, Mackenzie," Ileana scoffed. "We both know why you're so determined to save me, and it's not entirely about what Scylla and Boroslav have done to me. It's about what your father did."
Mackenzie froze, still ready to lift Ileana off the bed, but suddenly unable to do so.
"That's not true," Mackenzie said.
"Yeah it is," Ileana replied. "You feel so guilty about what your father did to me that you'll ruin your entire escape plan to get me out of here with you. Well, did you think about how you're supposed to move me? Are you going to carry me out of here?"
"If I have to," Mackenzie snapped.
"And what if we're seen?" Ileana asked. "What if a guard catches us? What if Scylla sees you? You won't be able to defend yourself. And if you get captured or killed, where does that leave me? Right back here in this bed, that's where. You can't take me with you, Miller. You just can't."
"I won't leave you like this!" Mackenzie insisted. "You can believe this is about my father all you like, but I refuse to let someone live this way."
Ileana suddenly smiled. When she spoke, her tone was still scathing, but it had softened. Her anger was ebbing away, though her resentment remained.
"You won't have to leave me like this," Ileana said with a small smile. "You can still save me."
"How?" Mackenzie asked, confused. "If I can't take you with me, how am I supposed to save you?"
Ileana looked past Mackenzie and jerked her chin across the room. Turning her head to look, Mackenzie saw Ileana was gesturing towards something on the floor. Something Mackenzie had dropped when Vasilii attacked.
"The gun?" Mackenzie asked, confused.
"Yes," Ileana breathed. "Take the gun. Then kill me."
Mackenzie felt her blood turn cold as she looked back to Ileana.
"What?" Mackenzie asked in disbelief. "No! I can't do that!"
"You have to!" Ileana snapped, angry again. "You can't take me with you, Mackenzie. And even if you could, I don't want you to. Twenty years, Mackenzie. Twenty years! That's how long I've been here. How long I've suffered, how long I haven't had control over my own body or my own life. But that ends today, right now. You pick up that gun, Mackenzie Miller. You pick it up and you shoot me in the head. Save my life."
Mackenzie was shaking her head, but she couldn't help remembering something Jesse had once said to her. When Inglis had been trapped under the ubergrades, dying a slow and horrible death, Mackenzie had asked if anyone tried to save him. Jesse had replied with a cool detachment.
"I did save him," Jesse had said. "One bullet, right in the head. That's what saved him."
Still, Mackenzie heard a strangled sob escape her throat as she shook her head at Ileana.
"No," Mackenzie begged. "I can't. I can't do that."
"You have to," Ileana replied, speaking softly now. The anger had left her completely. She seemed calm and at peace with her decision. "I'd do it myself if I could, but it has to be you. You know you won't get out of here if you try and take me with you. And even if you did manage to get me out, what then? How can I survive out there like this? I'll be no use to anyone. I won't stay in this bed another minute. Do you understand? I can't do it anymore. I need you to be my hands. I need you to kill me. Please, Mackenzie. Please."
As a single tear escaped from Ileana's eyes, Mackenzie felt her own tears flow down over her cheeks. Finally, Mackenzie nodded, but she couldn't say anything else. If she opened her mouth to speak, she would break down into uncontrollable tears.
Ileana smiled up at Mackenzie, a look of gratitude on her face. Mackenzie stepped away from Ileana and turned towards the gun. It had slid a fair way across the room, but Mackenzie felt she reached it far too quickly. Hesitating for a moment as sobs gripped her throat and threatened to tear her apart, Mackenzie reached down and picked up the gun. It felt foreign in her hands, and far heavier than it was before.
"It's okay, Mackenzie," Ileana whispered as Mackenzie returned to her bedside. "I want this. It's okay."
"I..." Mackenzie began, but stopped as she squeezed her eyes shut and looked away, suddenly convinced she couldn't do this. But a part of her had always known she was never going to succeed in getting Ileana out. This was how it was always going to be. "I'm sorry."
"Don't be sorry," Ileana whispered back, another tear trickling from her eyes. "You're saving me."
Mackenzie nodded, but felt like doubt and guilt was about to destroy her. She wanted to run, she wanted to throw down the gun and flee, but she knew she wouldn't do that. One way or another, Ileana was not going to suffer any longer.
As if on its own accord, Mackenzie's arm raised and aimed the gun at Ileana's head. Ileana gasped a little as a tiny sob escaped her lips, but she still smiled.
"Thank you," Ileana whispered, closing her eyes. "Thank you."
Pressing her lips as tightly together as she could so as to stop herself from crying, Mackenzie swallowed hard and took careful aim. Her hand was shaking badly and she was afraid that she might miss, even from this short distance. For a split second, Mackenzie lowered the gun, as though to not follow through on Ileana's request, but then she forced herself to keep the gun aimed at Ileana's smiling face.
Finally, Mackenzie pulled the trigger.