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Chapter Text

"He should be here by now, shouldn't he?" Elle asked, a note of frustration in her voice. Fragile laughed, "So impatient! Its the guy's first day, he's probably nervous, just go easy on him, OK?" Elle rolled her eyes. She took her job seriously and expected others to do the same. She wasn't one to excuse tardiness and was always punctual herself, so she was always annoyed when others didn't follow her example. "Besides," Fragile continued, "You'll have to be nice to him because he's shadowing you for a few deliveries before I let him go out alone. And before you protest, he seems like a nice guy, just give him a chance and be nice." Elle frowned and turned to check the label on a cargo pod behind her, "You said he had experience, why does he need to shadow me?" Fragile shrugged, "I'm trying to be a good boss, onboard him into the company with a smile and all that. Just please, please, I know it doesn't come naturally to you all the time, but be nice." Elle turned back to Fragile, "I'll try, but at the first sign of him acting like a dick or being lazy or not pulling his weight, I'm warning you now, I'll-" Suddenly she noticed the man standing behind Fragile in the now opened doorway of their delivery depot within Port Knot City. Fragile turned, a smirk on her face, and Elle just opened and closed her mouth like a fish. "What will you do?" the man asked, clearly amused, but in a way that was friendly, not offended. Elle shook her head, "Pay me no mind, I was talking about... someone else," she stuttered. He nodded and pretended like that was clear the whole time. "Gotcha," he said, rubbing a hand through the stubble on his chin, "Well, to put it out there, I don't intend to act like a dick or be lazy and I'm always happy to pull my own weight, so you should have no concerns there, ma'am." The silence was awkward. Elle was not only embarrassed, but also a little speechless. So this must be the guy. He was tall, broad shouldered, with dark hair slicked back, a few strands loose over his forehead. He had a wicked look in his eye, a cheeky looking smile and she couldn't deny, he was handsome. And he was looking at her just the same. Noticing her slender figure, lean and toned under her porter suit, her green eyes like a pair of emeralds glittering endlessly. Her full lips, the long, dark hair that she had pulled back into a messy braid. "The name's Higgs," he said, holding out his hand to shake hers, completely blanking Fragile. Elle reached out gingerly to take his hand, and gasped at how big it was compared to her own. He looked into her eyes intensely, and she knew straight away that this man had never been nervous a day in his life. "Y-you're late," Elle stammered. Higgs clicked his tongue and turned to Fragile. "I am, and I'm sorry about that, had to take shelter from the timefall for a short while but, what matters is I'm here and ready to get started." Fragile smiled then, more knowing than friendly, as she looked between Higgs and her sister with a look that said "I know what's going on here."

"Let me introduce you properly, Higgs," Fragile said, "This is my sister, Eleanor Veil, she's my best porter, upheld her five star rating for years now," she smiled proudly at Elle, who hated when Fragile made such a fuss. "You can just call me Elle," she offered to Higgs with a small smile. He nodded politely. "Fragile's been singing your praises - says you have a knack for keepin' things movin' smooth. Not easy in times like these, what with the timefall, the BT's... I reckon it takes someone with grit and courage to keep this operation going." She almost wanted to laugh until she realised he was being genuine and sincere, and then her expression softened. "I just do what I can," she smiled, "Deliveries are what keeps us all connected, and that's worth the risk and the effort." He was caught off guard by that, finding her sentiment endearing. He stared at her a beat too long, clearly, as Fragile cut in. "Don't go staring Higgs," she smirked, "Elle's the real deal - sharp as a tack and tough as nails, she'll keep you safe out there when you're shadowing her. She keeps me in line half the time." Elle rolled her eyes, "Don't listen to her, I just try not to let her overwork herself or do anything stupid." Higgs winked and smirked, "Sounds like you'll be keepin' me in line too then." Elle's cheeks flushed and she turned away, and Higgs gave a quiet, low chuckle. He couldn't deny that he loved flirting with a pretty girl and seeing her blush. And god damn, Elle was more than just pretty. Without realising, he dragged his bottom lip through his teeth as he watched her bend to pick up a cargo pod and start moving it to the waiting pick up off-roader. Fragile caught him looking and stared at him wide eyed. "Hey," she hissed, amused, "Eyes up." He laughed and got to helping load up the truck.

The first delivery Higgs would be shadowing Elle on was delivering food and water treatment chemicals to a small community up in the mountains, an hour's drive from Port Knot, and then a grueling climb up the mountain. The whole drive, Elle and Higgs had talked - they both felt comfortable in one another's presence, despite the rocky first impression. As soon as they'd pulled out of the depot, she'd apologised. "Look, before we get going I just want to say I'm sorry for my behaviour when you first walked in, I'm used to working alone and only having to rely on myself and I guess I'm just pessimistic when it comes to working with other people," she said, keeping her eyes on the road to avoid awkward eye contact. He had smiled at that, also keeping his eyes ahead. "Nothing to apologise for, I get it," he replied, "And besides, its good to work with someone who doesn't mince their words." There was a beat of silence, and then he continued, "So, what brought you to Fragile Express? Did you work with Bridges first?" She snorted at that. "Absolutely not. I don't much like feeling like I'm being spied on, so Bridges would never be the one for me. No, I..." she paused, wondering if it was too soon to trauma dump on this man, but she figured he'd already seen her acting like an asshole and she got the feeling from him that he wasn't easily shocked, so she decided to press on, "I was orphaned when I was a kid. My mom and dad, they were at home, I was out picking rocks a few miles out. We lived in a pretty safe area as far as BTs go and there were no MULEs or raiders or wild animals or anything dangerous, it was heaven, honestly, just us and a few other families who all decided to build bunkers next to each other, a real community. And then... a voidout. No one knows what caused it, but I would hedge a guess that one of the elderly members of the community had died in their sleep and been left a little too long. I saw the blast from where I was standing, ran back hoping I'd find my parents had got out. But just saw the crater, the big BT handprint at the bottom... And yeah, I guess I wandered for a while, lived off scraps and pity, and then finally found my way to Port Knot, and thats where Fragile and our... her dad picked me up. And the rest is history, or so they say." She laughed sadly, and then sighed, feeling like she'd said too much. Higgs looked like he was going to reach out to rest a hand on her shoulder, but thought twice. "Well, god damn," he whispered, "I'm real sorry to hear that." She nodded as a thank you and then took a deep breath, eager to take the focus from her. "But what about you, how did you come to Fragile Express?" she asked. Now it was his turn to wonder if he wanted to trauma dump, but he felt it was only fair after she'd shared her pain.

He took a deep breath and told her his life story. "I guess I kinda had a similar start to you, parents died when I was a kid, and my uncle raised me in his bunker. Never saw the outside world, and thought that all there was was the bunker. Anytime I asked about outside, he'd... well he'd beat me. And that was the only life I knew." She could see his fists clenched on his knees, sensing this was difficult to talk about and feeling he was going to reveal something big. "Then one day, I guess I went too far, and he, uh, he was choking me. And I could feel myself slipping away. There was a knife nearby and..." he stopped, cursing under his breath as he knew he'd said to much. But she didn't look at him in disgust like he expected, didn't try to change the subject. Instead, she quietly said, "I hope you used that knife." He looked at her, really looked. She turned to look at him too, a look of sincerity on her face as well as concern for him. He nodded slowly. "I did. Stuck it right in his neck. And he died. And I had to drag his body outside when it started going necro, threw it in a tar pit and that was how I knew I had it... DOOMS. The BTs came and consumed him and, I don't know, I guess since then I've always had a spark of the macabre in me. But I got real interested in helping people too, connecting them... Felt drawn to Fragile Express and wanted to join forces, so... here I am." He laughed with a slight nervous bravado, "So, uh, still feel good about being out here on your own with a murderer?" She pulled the truck to a halt at the foot of the mountain and turned to face him. "I reckon if you hadn't done what you did, it would have been you thrown in that tar pit, or causing a voidout that would have killed your uncle anyway. He got what he deserved. What you did in your past is none of my business, its what you do going forward, as part of this team, that matters to me," she said, earnestly, "Now come on, we've got a hell of a climb ahead of us and we need to load up our backpacks with this cargo." She climbed out of the truck and walked round to open the truck bed, moving fast clipping pods into her pack, gesturing for him to do the same.

The climb was hard, the ladders and rope anchors left by previous porters giving some respite against the oppressive pain in his legs, but every time he looked up and saw her hopping daintily from rock to rock, barely breaking a sweat, he knew he couldn't let her see he was fighting for his life. They reached an outcrop on the mountain side that gave them some respite from the wind, but Elle pointed to the final ladder that would take them to the top. "Not much further," she shouted over the whistling wind. She grabbed the ladder with both hands, putting one foot on the bottom rung, and when she transferred her weight onto it, the ladder jolted, slipping a few inches. She screamed as her hands lost their grip, the weight of the cargo on her pack pulling her backwards. She was falling and this was a fall she wouldn't survive. But like lightning, Higgs' hands flashed out, grabbing her arm and pulling her back to the ledge, clinging her tight to his chest. "Christ, woman!" he shouted, "You tryin' to get yourself killed?!" She took a deep breath, her heart feeling like it was going to beat out of her chest. "Thank God you were here," she laughed, and turned to make the attempt again. "Are you crazy?" Higgs shouted over the wind, "You just almost died!" She shook her head, "I was fine, you were here," she smiled, "And besides, these people need their delivery." And with that she pushed the ladder back into its place and made the climb. He watched her go, in awe of the bravery and courage she showed as he followed her up the ladder.

They made the delivery to a very grateful recipient, and Elle turned from the delivery terminal and began to walk down a flat path. "Don't we need to go back down that way?" Higgs asked, pointing to the ladder and the sheer drop. She turned around and smiled. "No, there is a path we could have driven up, but I just wanted to see how you handled the climb," the smile turned wicked and she giggled as she turned away, gesturing for him to follow. He laughed and shook his head, "So you're telling me you risked your life just to prove a point? And after we shared our secrets in the truck?" She shrugged and laughed again, "Welcome to Fragile Express, I wish I could tell you I'll be easier to work with from here on out, but, one shouldn't lie." He smirked at that, "Well, darlin', I am a man who likes a challenge so I'll appreciate you not going too easy on me." She turned to look at him, and he looked right back. She couldn't deny that there was something magnetic about him. He was easy to talk to, funny, handsome, he seemed like a kind guy and it was obvious he was feeling something too. But she had to focus on her work. Besides, she knew Fragile would only tease, or say something about professionalism at work.

They completed several more deliveries together, their final shadowing job being an overnight delivery mission to drop off materials to an old mine that needed fixing up. The truck bed was packed up with chiral crystal cannisters and pods of resins, metals and special aloys. By the time they arrived at the mine, deposited all the materials and set the terminal to begin operations, it was pitch black outside. Elle's cuff link flashed up, a call from Fragile. "Hey guys," she said, "I just got the ping that you made the delivery, well done. There's a private room in the mining facility but it looks like theres only one shower and one bed, so you're going to have to fight over who gets the bed and, I don't know, close your eyes whilst the other is showering. Higgs, no funny business with my sister." Elle gasped, "Fragile!" she hissed, face turning red, "What the fuck is wrong with you?" Higgs just laughed, enjoying the banter. "Don't worry, boss," he said in his usual cocky drawl, "I'll take reallll good care of her" He winked at Elle with a smirk and she just sighed, cut Fragile off and stepped on to the turn table that lowered them to the private room entrance.

At this point, they'd been on around ten deliveries together over the space of a month, and had grown much closer. Fragile had noticed something between them. Part of her wanted them to remain professional, but then there was a part of her that so desperately wanted Elle to find someone to have fun with and share her life with. It was rare, since the Death Stranding, her father told her, for people to find love. Most of the world had become asexual, with people fearing growing an emotional connection with each other due to the uncertainty of life. Seeing Elle and Higgs building what appeared to be a blossoming connection made her feel some hope. She noticed the lingering looks, the way she always found a way to have their knees just touching when sitting in meetings or at dinner. She'd clocked how comfortable Elle was with him, and when Fragile decided to ask Elle if there was anything she wanted to tell her, Elle simply said that they were just friends who enjoyed a little harmless flirting. Fragile knew that was bullshit. She'd seen the look of disappointment on Elle's face when she'd asked her to make a quick overnight delivery alone, leaving Higgs behind in his bunker at the depot. When she confronted Higgs, he simply said "Your sister is a good woman," but his eyes looked miles away. That was all Fragile needed to know. But she still couldn't resist a little taunt here and there. When she caught Elle looking at Higgs' ass one day, she asked her, loudly, if she'd like to borrow her camera to take a photo, as it would last longer. When Higgs came in with some flowers he'd been given by a prepper in a trial solo delivery trip to a small bunker just up the road, and handed them to Elle, Fragile made a big deal about how she liked flowers too. She loved seeing their shocked faced, realising she wasn't blind to their flirtations.

Back in the private room, Elle placed her pack down and pulled off her porter suit, and boots, bare feet on the cold floor, now wearing her grey camo leggings and grey t-shirt underneath. Higgs followed suit, hanging his own porter suit on the peg next to hers. She laughed at the length of his suit compared to hers. He looked over and laughed with her, "Oh, right, sorry I couldn't fit into one of yours or Fragile's child sized suits," he snorted. She rolled her eyes at his cheap shot. "I'm going to take a shower," she said, her eye contact heavy with something he wasn't sure of. "I'll, uh, I'll turn this way, read over some reports" he said, politely. She smirked and climbed into the shower cubicle, the frosted glass surround maintaining her modesty as she undressed. The hot water cascaded over her skin, and it felt heavenly. She was always astounded at how tar and mud and chiral dust managed to get under her porter suit and clothes and onto her skin. She watched as the muck swirled with the water and was sucked out through the plug at her feet, and began to rub the provided soap into her skin and hair. After rinsing off, she allowed the driers to blow cool air over her skin, drying her body and hair almost instantly, and grabbed the provided pyjamas from the little cabinet in the shower. Once she was dressed in the white garments, she turned, noticing that through the frosted glass she wasn't looking at the back of Higgs' head. No, he was definitely watching her. She smirked, knowing deep down that should probably creep her out, but she had been tip toeing around the "will he, won't he" thoughts for a month now, wanting so badly for him to make a move - maybe this was the start of something?

She stepped out of the cubicle and he whipped his head back around. "You know I could see your face pointing this way through the glass, right?" she laughed. He turned back round, pretending as though he'd never been looking in the first place, feigning dramatic shock. "Ain't no way," he said, "I swear some people just see what they want to see." He couldn't hide that his face was going red, and she couldn't hide that she was breathing a little faster. He cut the silence, moving towards the shower. "My turn," he said, "And make sure you definitely look the other way, you won't want to see this" he motioned at his body as he stepped into the cubicle. "What if..." she stopped herself, chickening out before saying something too bold, and rushed to sit on the bed, legs crossed, facing the wall. She heard his deep laugh, imagining him shaking his head as he closed the shower door.

She listened to the water, the sounds of his hands rubbing the soap into his skin, the sudden crash of water hitting the floor as he rinsed soap from his hair. It took every drop of willpower to not turn around and look. Even though she wanted to, and she knew he wanted her to, she couldn't deny she was a little scared of what would happen next if she looked. So instead, she waited patiently as he took the longest shower known to man. When she finally heard the driers, and the creak of the shower door opening, she turned to look and gulped. He was wearing the pyjama bottoms, the top in his hand, wringing water out of it. "Got the damn shirt wet," he said, clicking his tongue. She didn't know where to look. She watched as the muscles in his forearms tensed with each wring of the shirt, the tendons in his hands popping up and down as he squeezed it. His broad shoulders, muscular and toned, the planes of his chest, with a light cover of hair. The pyjama bottoms hung low, exposing the trail of hair from his belly button, down beneath the waistband. She couldn't stop herself from biting her lip, staring way too long. "Hello? You there?" came his voice, absolutely dripping in amusement. "What?" she said, as if coming out of a trance. "I asked if you know where I can get a dry shirt from," he said, smirking again. "I uh... I don't" she answered, her mind completely blank. "Let me go and find out." And before he could speak again, she jumped off the bed and darted, bare foot, out of the private room and along the hallway, past the vehicle hangar, all the way down to the supply closet at the end. When she got there, she opened the closet, looking through for a dry shirt. It was only when she found one that she realised she'd been holding her breath, letting it out with a sharp gasp.

"What the fuck?" she whispered to herself. Did he do that on purpose? Why was she so flustered? Sure, she liked him, and it was becoming more obvious that he liked her, but this was moving a bit too fast. Was it though? Her thoughts countered. They'd known each other for a month, they'd blatantly been flirting with each other, so the feelings were mutual. They'd trauma dumped on each other the first day they met, for Christ's sake. She lifted her cufflink and called Fragile, because what else would she do?

"You OK?" came Fragile's tired voice on the other side, "Its late, whats going on?" Elle took a deep breath and told Fragile she'd seen Higgs naked. This woke her up. "WHAT?" came Fragile's shocked response. "Well, not like, 'naked' naked, but he had no top on, and I stared. God, Fragile I stared way too long. Do you think he likes me? Do you think I like him? Am I being ridiculous? What's going to happen when I go back to the room? Can you come and get me?" Fragile gave a gentle laugh and took a deep breath before responding. "I think we both know he likes you, Elle," she responded, putting on her best big sister voice, "Its obvious he likes you, and he'd be a fool if he didn't. He's always looking at you, talking about you, and I'm sure he's always thinking about you. But, how do you feel? What do you want to happen when you go back to the room?" Elle took a deep, steadying breath. "I do," she said back, calmer now, "I do like him. I think I could love him maybe. I guess I want some sort of confirmation from him that he feels the same way, so I don't feel like such a fool." Fragile nodded, and hummed in agreement. "Well then, as your big sister, and as your boss, your next delivery is to deliver yourself back to the room, tell him how you feel, and report back at your earliest convenience with what happens next," she said, smirking at the last part, "And remember, you don't have to do anything you don't want to do."

Elle took a deep breath and thanked Fragile, ending the call. She felt like she had a purpose to herself now, and marched back down the corridor, stopping outside the door to the private room, forehead resting against it, hand holding the door handle. She took a few more breaths and then heard "Well, are you comin' back in or not?" She smiled, turned the handle and stepped in. He was laid on the bed, a smile on his face. "I have to tell you, before you start, the walls in this place aren't as soundproof as we thought," he drawled, standing to come and take the shirt from her hand. She closed her eyes, muttering a quiet "Shit" under her breath. "I'm not just saying this because you want me to, I'm saying this because now I've heard your feelings, and I guess its only fair you hear mine," he said, and she was suddenly aware how close he was. "I do like you, Elle, and I think I could... I could love you too." The silence between them was suddenly deafening. She could feel Fragile's voice in her head screaming "Go for it!"

"What now?" he asked, filling the silence. She lifted her face to look up into his eyes, sensing that they were getting even closer, feeling as though gravity itself was pulling them closer, and they had no control over it. Suddenly, their noses were practically touching, and then he felt the soft petals of her lips brushing his own. Both their eyes fluttered closed as they pushed into a kiss, just a gentle peck at first, before they both pulled back and looked into each others eyes for a beat. Then, all the feelings they had for each other, the lust, the want, the desire, pushed them back together, this time their lips crashed together, desperate and unrestrained. This isn't the tender first kiss either of them had planned, this was hunger, weeks and months of longing finally breaking loose. He tangled one hand in her hair, the other snaking down her back until it found her ass, his huge hand kneading it like bread dough. She moaned into his mouth and bucked her hips towards him, both arms wrapped under his arms, hands clutching his shoulders like she was holding on for dear life. He pulled away then, breath ragged, forehead leaning against hers.

"You sure about this?" he asked, voice hoarse, almost begging, "Because we're about to go past a point of no return. Once I start, I won't be able to stop, darlin'." She looked up at him through thick eyelashes, all the worry and fear she'd had before was long gone. "Then don't stop," she whispered back, already pulling his mouth back down to hers. That shattered whatever restraint he had left. He lifted her off the ground, and she wrapped her legs around his waist as he carried her to the bed, laying her down gently. She used her legs to pull him down onto her, giving a hiss of approval as she felt his weight pressing her into the mattress. Their mouths met again, but this time it was deeper, hotter, tongue swirling around each other and fighting for control. It was clumsy, messy, teeth clashing, breathless laughs between moans and kisses, but also achingly tender. His calloused hands slowly exploring her body as though he was mapping every curve and committing it to memory, her lips tracing along his jaw, relishing the rough, scratchy stubble against her soft lips.

He pulled her shirt off and lifted himself up to look down at her, speechless as his hands wandered over her breasts, palming them, running his thumbs over her nipples, looking like a pair of raspberries, firm and excited to see him. He hooked his thumbs under the waist band of her pyjama bottoms next, slowly sliding them down over her hips, down her legs, letting out a strained moan at the sight of her now completely naked underneath him. She had bruises and and a few scrapes and scars here and there from years of portering, but they told stories and he leant down to kiss a trail from a scar the shape of an asterisk on her shoulder, running his lips down over her nipple to then connect to a scrape on her ribcage, then a bruise on her hip bone, moving all the way down her leg to plant a kiss on the tip of her toe, before draping the leg over his shoulder and settling down to position his head between her thighs. He could see she was already glistening wet for him, and he looked up to see her eyes looking back down at him, wide eyed, when he realised. "This your first time?" he asked her, earnestly. She nodded her breathing coming more ragged, a mix of nerves and arousal. "Don't worry, sugar, I'll take good care of you" he whispered against her cunt. And his tongue darted out, taking a long, languid lick between her folds, letting out a strained moan at the smell and taste of her. He felt her body arch, and a gasp escaped her mouth. He continued with a devilishly slow rhythm, coaxing sounds out of her she didn't even know she could make, his hands, gentle but firm at the same time, gripping her thighs to keep her still. She found herself grinding against his mouth, and after what felt like years of dying from the most incredible torture, she felt something building within her, and then it snapped. She arched her back as far as it would go, toes curling behind his head, hand instinctively grabbing a fist of his hair and pulling his face closer to her body as she cried out. But he didn't stop, not even when her body began to jolt and buck like she was being electrocuted. She felt her clit go completely sensitive and wriggled to get away, but he pulled her back. "I can't get enough of this," he sighed, voice muffled, against her, as if he was speaking to her pussy and not her.

When he finally relented, she could barely breath, and laid there, staring at the ceiling as he climbed up her body again, coming face to face with her again. "What did you just do?" she panted, looking into his icy blue eyes. He stroked her hair away from her face and smiled, "Something I've wanted to do for a while," he said, a proud smile on his face, "What do you want to do next?" she asked, already having something on her mind as she felt his cock pressing into her hip. He laughed, low and predatory, "I think you know what I want to do next," he whispered, searching her face for approval. She nodded, but he sensed apprehension. "Will it... will it hurt?" she asked, her face turning slightly red as she felt the shame of potentially ruining the moment. But he looked into her eyes, hand cupping her face. "I've heard tell that it can, at first, but it depends on the people," he said, "But most important thing to remember, Elle, is we can stop at any time. And we don't have to do this now if you don't want to." She stroked his cheek gently, memorising is handsome face. "No, I do want to," she whispered, "I know I'm safe with you." He kissed her gently, "Damn right, you are," he smiled, "You ready?" She nodded, her nerves once again mixing with desire as he moved his hands between then to position himself, before slowly, gently pushing himself into her. She felt the discomfort as he filled her, and gave a quiet gasp at the sensation of stretching, but nodded for him to keep going.

There was no pain, and instead she enjoyed the feeling, the way she felt like this was a new kind of bond they'd made, and she could see it in his face he felt the same. "You good," he asked, his voice rattling with this need to move, his animal instincts fighting to take over. She nodded, wrapping her legs tighter around him. "Move with me," he breathed, and he pulled out slowly, before pushing back in again, and she quickly felt the pleasure building again as he picked up a rhythmic pace, thrusting into her gently as she rocked her hips up to meet him. The noises he made, small gasps mixed with grunts and lows growls as he fucked her made her feel new sensations, her entire body reacting to every new feeling, the building pressure, the intensity she felt in her chest for him, the delicious ache in her legs, spread wide to accommodate him, the dull throb of his cock hitting the deepest spots inside her, she was experiencing all of this for the first time, and together their breaths synchronised. She could feel sweat dripping from his forehead and chest on to her, and could see in his face that he was about to find his release, with her.

When they both cried out together at the same time, her clenching around him, and him spilling himself inside her, the room was filled with the sound of their ragged breaths and the smell of what they'd done. The intensity and the hunger slowly burned down to something softer, as he rolled over to lie beside her, pulling her into his arms. "How was that?" he asked quietly, nervous now himself as he so desperately wanted to make her feel good. She turned to face him, one hand sweeping a strand of hair out of his eyes. "I think I've waited a long time for something like this, something real," she said moving closer to rest her head against his chest. He smiled sadly, thinking about how long he'd wanted to just be wanted, loved, by anyone. "So have I," he responded, smiling when he realised she'd alread fallen asleep, mouth half open, breathing even, completely at ease with him.

"It's what you do going forward, as part of this team, that matters to me" she'd said that first day when he'd told her of his past. He would think about that line often in the future when he wondered if he was always destined to disappoint her.

Chapter Text

The year that followed was blissful. Elle and Higgs became inseparable, their relationship blossoming and both of them finally feeling like they had a purpose. Fragile, pleased with their work and feel generous, gave them both senior positions in the company. Elle was no longer a porter, she was now Head of Logistics, responsible for delivery route planning, inventory management, and ensuring the right porters were on the right jobs. Higgs had been put in charge of recruitment, and was responsible for bringing in new porters, training them and ensuring they knew their roles in and out. Under the three of them together, Fragile Express became one of the most trusted delivery outfits in Central America. Small preppers and huge distribution centres knew that when they saw the Fragile Express logo, it was someone they could trust.

Elle was thankful for this life they were carving out together. She'd never dared imagine this was possible in the world they were living in. They had their own bunker, she and Higgs, within the grounds of Port Knot, close enough to the depot but far enough away that it still felt like home, like an escape. It was warm, lived in, scattered with mismatched furniture, their boots always by the door. The nights were their's - quiet meals together, music playing on the record player, or sometimes Higgs would pull out his old, beaten guitar and sing to her. There was always laughter, song, and joy echoing off the walls.

For a time, it felt like a real family, finally, something that she and Fragile both needed. Having Fragile visit for dinner, or going to see Fragile in her own private room she kept within the depot. The three of them were so close, and Fragile loved to see how in love they were. She remembered reading about an old proverb that said every person is a half of a whole, and each half is just wandering the earth trying to find its other half. She truly believe that when she looked at Higgs and Elle. She could see them growing old together, finding a successful relationship in this world that often felt like the place love went to die.

Higgs woke up every day feeling content, feeling like he'd made it. All he had to do was catch Elle's eye, and he was reminded of how lucky he was. He wished he could go back and tell that little boy trapped in the bunker that if he was patient, if he kept hanging on, one day he was going to meet a girl who would remind him every day of what he had to live for.

But then, little by little, the air began to shift.

The first thing Elle and Fragile noticed, was the pace at which Higgs was recruiting porters. "Have you seen all the porters?" Elle asked Fragile one day as she scrolled through the roster. "What about them?" Fragile asked, looking up from her report. "The sheer volume of them," Elle said, frowning as she scrolled through name after name of people she didn't recognise, "Why has he hired... Seventeen new porters in the last month, and we've not met a single one of them?" Fragile came over and looked over Elle's shoulder at the names. "Hm... I mean its a lot, but we're growing, can't have too many porters if we want to expand one day," Fragile shrugged. Elle chewed her bottom lip, uncertain. "No, I get that," she murmured, mostly to herself, "But why hasn't he said anything?" Fragile laughed at that. "You're not his boss, sis. I think we can trust him to know what he's doing." She still wasn't convinced, but she also felt like maybe she was just making a mountain out of a molehill, so she closed the roster and moved to something else with a sigh. Fragile eyed her carefully. "Everything OK?" she asked. Elle tapped her pencil against the table, chewing the inside of her cheek, contemplating. "Yeah, fine," she responded, mind somewhere else, "Actually, do you think Higgs has been acting a bit weird lately? Like, a bit quiet? I feel like his mind is just always on something else and he's never really like, all there when I'm talking to him". Fragile shrugged and shook her head, "Trouble in paradise?" she asked, smirking. Elle frowned, "No... Fragile, I'm being serious," she responded, "He's just been acting off." As if he knew they were talking about him, Higgs walked through the door at that moment. And as if proving her point, he walked straight past Elle to pick up a report and turned to walk out again, when normally, he would at least acknowledge her, at most kiss her on the forehead. "Um, hello?" Elle said expectantly. He stopped and turned. "What's up?" he asked. "Nothing," Elle responded, chickening out of questioning him. "Lot of new porters," Fragile cut in, nodding at the control panel. Elle pulled up the roster then, feeling emboldened by Fragile. Higgs looked at the screen and shrugged, looking at Elle, waiting for an explanation. "Why are you hiring so many new porters, what's going on?" she asked. He snorted, "I think it's my job to do the hiring, and your job to stick to logistics, sweetheart," he responded unkindly. Elle bristled at that. "Ok, ouch," she responded, "I'm just asking, it seems weird that there are so many names here that neither myself or Fragile have heard of, I'm just wondering if there are any logistical issues I need to be aware of." He seemed to look regretful after she finished, and looked down sheepishly. "Sorry, darlin', been a long day," he said, quietly, "Nothing you need to worry about though, just... we want to expand, we want to grow... feels right to get out ahead of it." He kissed her on the foreheard and turned to leave. Elle turned to look at Fragile, who gave her an "I told you so" look and went back to her reports.

At home, he grew restless. Nights that had once been tender sometimes tipped into something harsher. Hands a little too tight one her wrists, kisses edged with frustration rather than passion. There was one night, whilst he was pounding into her, he bit her shoulder, something she usually would enjoy, but this time, it hurt in a way that wasn't pleasurable, and she flinched and told him to stop. He stopped as soon as she asked, but looked confused. She looked down at her shoulder, a bruise already forming around the indentations left by his teeth. "What has gotten into you?" she asked, "Why is it so rough every time all of a sudden?" He looked completely taken aback, almost as if he hadn't realised what he was doing. "I'm sorry, Elle, I didn't... I thought you liked that?" She sat back in the bed, pulling the quilt up to her chin. "I mean, I do," she replied, "But not all the time. I feel like you're pulling away from me, from us... is everything OK?" He put his head in his hands and sighed. "Why do you keep asking me if everything's OK?" he asked, "I feel like every day you're second guessing me, I'm fine, Elle. Stop worrying about me." She looked him up and down, unconvinced. He looked as thought he was on the verge of crying, on the verge of telling her something she sensed he didn't really want her to know. "You know, you can talk to me, right?" she whispered, "If ever anything happens, please talk to me." He looked up at her, finally meeting her eyes, and nodded. "Come back to me," she whispered, throwing the covers off herself. He climbed back up the bed to her, their mouths meeting again, and moved back into their rhythm, slow, sensual, passionate. He sighed her name, his body responding to her touch in a way it would never, could never respond to anyone else's. She was his safe place, she kept him grounded, she trusted him and loved him and yet, he knew she shouldn't trust him at all. Later that night, Elle lay awake, staring at the ceiling as Higgs slept beside her. She was trying to pass off his behaviour as just a temporary lapse. Maybe he was stressed with work, especially with all the recruitment he'd been doing, and just needed to give him the time and space to work through it. But this wasn't the first night she'd been left wondering what was changing within him, and what was pulling her Higgs away from her.

And then there were the things he'd started to say. Strange things about death and the end of the world. He'd stay up late into the night reading old books about Egyptian mythology, talking manically about how the Egyptians had it all right - how death wasn't the end, but a passage, a celebration, something to be looked forward to and not feared, that they had lost their way, humans, as a species when they started to fear and try to prevent the inevitable. His voice carried a reverence that unsettled her, his eyes alight with something fevered. It sounded like he was reciting something he'd practiced. Elle tried to understand. She sat with him, she asked him questions, trying to tease out some meaning behind the things he was saying, but he answered in riddles, going round and round in circles. When she admitted she couldn't quite follow, his smile turned sharp. "Guess not everybody can see the big picture, huh, darlin'?" he'd say, a chuckle undercut with condescension.

He'd also been spending long stretches away from the bunker all of a sudden. So many nights, she had woken in the middle of the night to find him gone, or he would leave for a training mission with some new recruits and be gone for days - once he was gone for a week, and when she managed to connect with him via their cuff links, he would just give some half assed response about how he was just trying new training techniques to harden the new porters, get them out in the wilderness. She started to feel like she was nagging him too much, especially when his responses came out clipped and sharp. And then, one night she had Fragile over for dinner and he turned up after being gone for three days. She'd asked him where he'd been, and he'd responded simply with "Training mission." She looked at Fragile and laughed, making him bristle. "It's always a 'training mission'," she said, "How incompetent are these porters that you're having to spend three days on a training mission with them?" He spun round, his face looking dark and mean, scaring her a little. "Will you fucking let it go," he snapped back, "I'm working, Elle, working. Its my job. You stick to your own job, I'll stick to mine. And what's she doing here, anyway?" He'd gestured to Fragile, who flinched at his tone. "Don't talk about her like that, she's my sister, she's welcome here any time," Elle snapped back. He snorted and shook his head, walking to the bathroom to take a shower. "Fragile, I'm sorry," Elle said, whirling round to face her. "It's fine," she responded, "I'll leave you two alone, its time I head back anyway." She gave Elle a hug and turned to leave.

Elle sat at the dinner table, waiting for him to emerge from the bathroom. When he finally came out, he looked at her sheepishly. "Are you going to leave me?" she asked, voice calm and level, but he could hear the thickness in her throat that gave away the fact she was trying not to cry. He folded at that, and strode forward. "No," he said firmly, kneeling in front of her, "No, I'm not leavin' you. I love you." She let the tears spill over, resting her hands on either side of his face. "Then tell me, what is going on Higgs?" she begged, staring into his eyes, "Why have you become so distant? You're so angry all the time and I feel like I can't get through to you." He so desperately wanted to tell her, but he wasn't allowed to. If he told her, he'd fuck everything up. He so desperately wanted to be successful, wanted to be seen as competent, he just couldn't say it. Even though he knew if he told her, she'd help him. Maybe not help him do what he had to do, but she'd help him in her own way. But that's why he couldn't tell her. He knew what had to be done, and the less she knew, the better. So he chose to do something he'd always sworn he'd never do to her - he lied.

"I... uh... I've just been having flashbacks recently. My uncle. The nightmares have been bad," he said, quietly, never quite meeting her eye. "I didn't want to tell you because I didn't want you to worry about me." She melted, leaning down to kiss his forehead. "You silly man," she said, sighing deeply. He felt her relief in the way her muscles relaxed and she leant into him. "I'm so sorry I pushed you so much, I feel terrible. But you must tell me when these things are eating you up. I'm your partner, I'm here to look after you." He sighed and pulled her into an embrace. "I know honey, I'm here to look after you too."

Chapter Text

For weeks after the fracture in their bond, Higgs seemed to stitch himself back into the rhythm of their lives, slipping seamlessly into the grooves of domesticity as though nothing had ever been amiss. He'd return from the depot earlier than usual, arms laden with ingredients for meals he'd bought direct from the Port Knot merchants, and Elle would tease him about how he always forgot the essentials but somehow never forgot the bottle of moonshine he liked so much. They'd share meals again at the dining table, the soft glow of the bunker lights above their heads painting everything in a warmth that she'd missed. He'd talk about work in broad strokes, nothing too specific, just enough to fill the silences without raising suspicion - stories about a green recruit fumbling his first route, or the absurdity of a porter who had decided it was a great idea for her to attempt to deliver fragile goods during timefall showers. And Elle, for her part, found herself easing into the rhythm of those nights, letting her guard down, convincing herself that perhaps whatever shadow had been moving through him was just that: a shadow, temporary and fleeting. He'd even started humming again while he cooked - an old habit of his that she adored, little half tunes that never seemed to have a beginning or an end. She hadn't realised until then how starved she was for the simply comfort of normalcy, for the idea that maybe they were still on the track they'd promised each other when this all began.

Their intimacy returned in measured waves, small gestures at first, like his hand slipping over hers when they walked through the depot, or the way his fingers would linger at her waist when she bent to sort manifests at the terminal. But it soon turned physical. He'd kiss her, deep and passionate, just because, pressing her into the wall of the Fragile Express control room as soon as Fragile or any of the porters left the room, his growls of need and her sighs of pleasure melting together. Finding her in the vehicle hangar and taking her against one of the pick up trucks, them both going silent and trying not to laugh when they heard someone walking past. One night, he surprised her by pulling her into bed after her shower, and making love to her the way he used to, slow and reverent, the weight of his body grounding her against the world outside. Elle clutched at him desperately, as though he might disappear again if she didn't hold him tight enough, her nails digging little half moons into the skin of his back, breath catching when he pressed his forehead against hers and whispered her name like a prayer. She convinced herself that this wasn't the behaviour of a man growing distant, not the actions of someone who already had one foot out the door, ready to leave. They spent hours tangled together, her head on his chest, memorising the exact melody of his heartbeat as he stroked circles into her back absent-mindedly. In those moments, she slowly forgot the jagged edges of their arguments, his strange obsession with death. She told herself that this, right here, was the truth, that this was the man she loved, her Higgs, who laughed softly when she climbed onto his chest and told him she wanted him forever. He had kissed her with such fervor, such devotion, that she believed it without question.

At the depot, they began working seamlessly together again, Elle the diligent logistician, depending on Higgs being the organised leader, together steadying the tide of new recruits and the influx of contracts Fragile Express had started taking on. Higgs was charismatic again, attentive to both porters and clients, and though sometimes she noticed his gaze linger too long on the recruits he trained, the looks he shared with them that seemed to share an understanding that she wasn't part of, she just chalked it up to him being a good leader that the porters trusted and respected. Together, they presented the image of a power couple, Elle sharp eyed and efficient at the terminals, Higgs persuasive and commanding on the field. Fragile herself even teased them, calling them her golden pair, saying she wouldn't be able to run the company without them. It all just felt perfect again, and she often had moments where she realised she'd gone another whole day without worrying about Higgs, or feeling anxious.

The illusion was so complete that Elle never saw the cracks widening beneath the surface. She fell into bed with him at night feeling loved, woke beside him in the morning with his arm draped across her waist, and walked through her days with the easy comfort of partnership. The coldness she'd experienced in him before, the flashes of temper, those seemed like fading ghosts now, relics of a darker period they'd managed to get through together. She laughed with ease again, smiled without the weight on her chest, and even began believing that maybe her doubts had been unfair, and Higgs let her believe that. He leaned into the role of devoted partner so well that even Fragile began to relax, remarking that the two of them seemed happier lately. Elle clung to that, craving the validation. She didn't know that every tender kiss, every careful caress, every whispered promise of forever was calculated, a mask to hide what he was truly doing in the shadows. She had no idea she was living in the quiet calm before the storm, and interlude carefully crafted by the man she loved, all to protect her from seeing who he really was, as he was slipping beyond her reach.

Things started to go wrong early one morning, when Elle had woken up alone in her bed. She assumed Higgs must have already gone out to start his day in the field, so she got herself up, grabbed some chiral tea, and then made her way over to the depot, expecting Fragile to be waiting, but she found the control room empty. Most likely Fragile was checking over shipments, speaking to clients, or, Elle hoped, having a sleep in. She busied herself with reports, checking staffing levels and making adjustments to routes and shipments depending on weather changes and reported BT areas. She'd been in the control room for over two hours when she realised it was odd Fragile still hadn't made an appearance. She left the room, locking the door behind her before heading to Fragiles private room above the depot. She knocked on the door, but no answer, so she let herself in with her key. The room was empty, bed made, a pot of still hot coffee on the counter. "Weird," she thought, knowing Fragile would tell her if she was going out of the city. But she shrugged and headed back to the control room, getting back into her reports.

After a while she began to feel concerned that she'd heard nothing from Fragile, so she pulled up her contact on her cuff link and called her. "Good morning," came Fragile's chipper voice on the other side, "How are you?" Elle smiled and wiggled her eyebrows. "Where are you exactly?" she asked, convinced there was some gossip here for why Fragile was being a dirty stop out. "I'm just on my way back from Middle Knot, thought I'd take that delivery early for you," Fragile responded, nonchalantly. Elle frowned, "Delivery? What delivery?" she asked. "What do you mean, what delivery?" Fragile laughed, "You left me a message on Social Strand last night, the pod you left in the cargo bay for Middle Knot." Elle went quiet, racking her brains wondering if she'd sent anything. She checked Social Strand and sure enough, there was a message from her to Fragile that read: "Hey sis, I've left a pod in the cargo bay locker for you, its for Middle Knot, super breakable cargo for the head of the distribution centre. I don't trust any of the porters so if you could drop it off their ASAP for me, I'd appreciate it!" Surely this was a joke, someone had hacked her Social Strand and sent Fragile with an empty pod. "Stop acting like you don't know anything about this!" Fragile laughed, "Is this payback for me putting salt in your chiral tea that one time? You didn't have to send me all this way to prove a point. I rushed here too, the pod said it was a time sensitive delivery too." Elle felt anxious, wondering who would do something like this. "Fragile, I didn't send you that message, and I didn't leave that cargo pod," she said, voice shaking slightly, panic rising in her throat. "Yes you did, just admit it," she laughed. "Fragile, I'm not fucking playing, I didn't do this!" Elle snapped back. Fragile sighed, "Well fine, maybe it was one of the porters trying to make an impression, we'll just have Higgs talk to them," she said flippantly. "Speaking of, have you heard from Higgs today?" Elle chewed her thumb, "No," she said quietly. "Well, anyway, I'm almost back now, I'll be pulling into Port Knot in like, five minutes -"

A pop up alert on their cuff links interrupted Fragile. It vibrated, a red alert, something serious. Elle flicked open the alert and felt her blood run cold at the headline: "Alert: Middle Knot City destroyed. Total loss. Source: Nuclear detonation. Delivery confirmed under Fragile Express Manifest."

The words burned across the screen, unshakeable, undeniable. "No," Elle whispered, "No, no, no, this can't be right. How did we miss this?" On the other line, Fragile's voice was thin, shaking, barely audible, hollow and shaking. "I... I just... I delivered a bomb," she whispered, "Elle... what the fuck Elle, what have you done?" Elle could feel bile rising in her throat. "Fragile, please, you must know I had nothing to do with this," she cried, "I didn't send it, I... I'm looking at the manifests right now, there's nothing here, you know I wouldn't send anything dangerous!" The realisation clawed its way up her spine. Someone had set them up. Someone had used her and Fragile to blow up the city, and now it was all pinned on them. And deep down, she couldn't yet bare to say it out loud, but she knew exactly whose fingerprints might be on this.

Chapter Text

Elle's hands were shaking as she brought up his name on the cufflink, preparing to call him. "Don't make any assumptions yet," she whispered to herself. She hated that the thought of Higgs doing something like this was even present in her mind, and so she forced herself to push it out. Maybe he hadn't vetted a new porter properly? Maybe someone on the outside was jealous of how well Fragile Express was doing - a competitor maybe? But then, why nuke an entire fucking city? Her head was hurting, and she was going to send herself insane trying to figure it out. "Hey, whats up," came Higgs' voice on the cufflink, sounding way too chipper. Dumbfounded, Elle snapped back, "What's up?! Higgs, have you not heard about Middle Knot?" He clicked his tongue, "Can't say I have, you wanna tell me what you're calling for?" She bristled at that. Was she not allowed to call him? "Higgs," she took a deep, steadying breath, "Someone hacked my Social Strand and had access to the depot, they had Fragile deliver... they had her deliver... a bomb. A nuclear bomb to Middle Knot City... And it detonated" she took another breath, her voice getting higher and higher with the sobs that were wracking her body. "The city is gone, Higgs, its fucking gone, and they think we did it. All those people... there are children in Middle Knot. Oh god." She stopped, feeling bile rise in her throat again, and grabbed a nearby trash can to throw up in. "Well damn," came Higgs' voice on the other line, "What can I do?" She took another breath before responding. "Can you just get here? I'm in the control room, please come, we need to be here when Fragile gets back." He sighed before telling her he was on his way over and then ended the call. If her suspicions weren't high enough already, his nonchalance at being told that a city had been blown off the map pushed her fears further towards confirmation.

"...one of your fucking recruits!"
"...nothing to do with me... not the logistician"
"...nothing to do with her.... not my sister"
"...funny you were the only one there"
"Keep your fucking voice down!"

Elle could hear Fragile and Higgs bickering as they came up to the control room. She had spent an hour sitting on the floor, knees pulled up to her chin, rocking herself in silence waiting for them to arrive. The door banged open and Higgs stormed in. "I swear the both of you have been thinking badly of me for so long, constantly asking if something's wrong, if you need to be worried, I should have known you'd pin this on me!" he shouted. "Well it wasn't me, why the fuck would I deliver a bomb?" Fragile yelled back. "I don't... I'll speak to the porters," Higgs said, throwing his hands up. He then turned and saw Elle on the floor, "What are you doing down there?" he snapped, unkindly. Fragile bent down, wrapping an arm around Elle and pulling her to her feet. She shakily lifted her eyes to look at Higgs' face, almost scared of what she would see in his eyes. He looked annoyed, but not grief stricken, not devastated, not heart broken. The Higgs she knew, the one she had fallen in love with, would have been moving heaven and earth to find out what had happened, but he seemed so unbothered by the whole situation, more offended about being asked questions. He stepped towards the control panel, opening up the manifest. "Lets see," he said, scrolling through the shipment logs, before snorting, "Say's here this order was signed off by you, sweetheart." Fragile could almost see steam come out of Elle's ears as she turned around to look at him. "Are you fucking kidding me?" she said, her voice low, angry, a tone neither Higgs or Fragile had ever heard come from Elle, who was always sweet, innocent, always trying to come from a good place, "I know what it says, I've looked at it a hundred times in the last fucking hour. But I didn't send it. Someone is messing with us and dammit, I'm gonna find out who." She looked into his eyes, waiting for some reaction from him, something to give him away, hoping that she wouldn't see anything. "Easy," he whispered, stepping forward and pulling her to his chest. This small gesture made her break down, sobbing into the fabric of his jacket, "We'll figure this out, I'm sorry darlin', I wasn't accusing you." Fragile was pacing behind them, wringing her hands. "We need to shut down the depot," she said, "Nothing goes in or out, every cargo pod already in storage here needs to be searched and checked before we resume any operations." Elle turned around to look at Fragile. "We're not resuming operations, Fragile," she rasped, throat sore from sobbing so much, "No one is going to want to have anything delivered by us now. I've already had multiple order requests cancelled, by some of our best customers, they don't want anything to do with us." Fragile shook her head, "No," she hissed, "No, this is not... We need to prove our innocence, we didn't do this! I'm not going to give up on this, my dad... our dad built this company and ran it for years, I can't let it end like this." Elle nodded tearfully, taking Fragile's hand's in her own. "We're not gonna give up, but we need to lay low for a while, make all of our checks, check out the porters... Together," she reached out for Higgs' hand too, "We'll get through this together."

Higgs shifted, saying he was going to get the porters together, start closing down operations and start getting things in order for an investigation. Fragile crossed her arms over her chest, "Just... find out who did this Higgs," she whispered, "Please." He gave her and Elle both a long look, unreadable, before tipping his head in a slow nod. "I'll handle it." But when he turned away, Elle could've sworn she saw the corner of his mouth twitch, like the ghost of a smile he hadn't meant for anyone to catch.

The investigation began, Fragile Express was closed for business, and the depot was gutted. Every cargo pod was opened, inspected, and packed away again, with nothing untoward found amongst the stock. Higgs was using a private room within the depot to conduct interviews with porters, but kept everything confidential. Whenever Elle or Fragile asked for details, he said he would compile a report and share his findings once he'd interviewed everyone. It was agonising walking around Port Knot City. There were some who fully rejected the idea that Fragile, Elle or Higgs had anything to do with this, who voiced their support and offered help with the investigation, but these were all politely declined. Elle hated sounding overly suspicious of anyone, but they wanted to keep the investigation internal, no outside influences, just in case of further corruption. But there were also the people who absolutely believed they had done this. All three of them were met with scorn, scowled at, turned away from on site merchants, one guy even spat at Fragile's feet when he passed her in the courtyard. Whilst Fragile and Elle felt devastated by each new encounter, Higgs seemed to find it funny, once giggling to Elle over dinner as he recounted how one of the merchants had told Higgs he doesn't serve terrorists. Elle had stared at him when he told the story, and when he waited for her reaction, she simply said, flatly, "That's not funny, Higgs." He'd rolled his eyes and muttered something about "can't say anything around here" but she ignored him.

A week passed, and Elle was sitting in the control room, reading over an inventory report, trying to figure out how they could try to resume operations in future, when suddenly the control panel popped up with an alert - one of the Fragile Express trucks was on its way out of the hangar. She looked out of the window to see it leave the depot, clearing carrying cargo in the back. She grabbed the radio mic on the desk and walked to the door. "This is logistics," she said, "Truck 7, you are not authorised to leave this compound. Stop for inspections, do you copy?" Silence. The vehicle sped up, tearing through the exit gates before she could radio to Port Knot security to bar the exit. Her stomach sank as she pulled up the control panel on her cuff link, opening up the truck satellite feed. The blinking icon of Truck 7 crawled across the map like a fuse on its way to a stick of dynamite. Destination: South Knot City. "Fuck," she hissed, running across the compound to hers and Higgs' bunker. It was dark when she entered, the air still. And it was quiet... too quiet. She called out his name but had no response. She flicked on the kitchen light, and that's when she saw it. A scrap of paper on the dining table, folded in half with her name scrawled across it. With shaking hands, she picked it up and unfolded it.

"Elle,

I'm sorry. I didn't want it to end like this. But I've been called to something higher, something greater. I can't stay.

Don't look for me. By the time you read this, I'll be out of your reach.

Please... try to remember me as I was, back when we first met, when things still made sense. I never wanted to hurt you.

It'll all be over soon.

Your Higgs"

Her breath hitched, the page blurring through tears. "No.... No, no no." She pressed the paper to her chest, a sob escaping her mouth, and then she heard the beep of the satellite on her cufflink, and crumpled the paper in her fist. "I don't have time for this," she hissed through gritted teeth. She ran outside, finding Higgs' old tri cruiser parked next to the hangar and jumped in. She didn't notice the Fragile Express decals scraped off, or the hieroglyphics and scientific formulas that had been carefully scratched into the paintwork. She pulled out of the hangar, one eye constantly on the satellite, following the truck. She used voice controls for her cufflink, "Call Fragile!" she shouted as she sped through the Port Knot gates, turning to follow the tyre marks left by the truck. "What?" came Fragiles voice, still defeated. "Where are you?" Elle shouted over the roar of the engine, "I need you to get on the road, an unauthorised truck just left the depot and its on the way to South Knot... Fragile, I think they're gonna do it again. I've pinged you the satellite marker." Fragile was quiet for a second, and then Elle heard the sound of a truck door shutting. "I've got the ping, I'll cut them off before you do," and then she dropped the line. Elle kept her eyes on the road after that, tears of heartbreak, betrayal, of anger and disgust spilling over her eyes, clouding her vision. She wiped her face with the back of her hand. "What are you doing, Higgs?" she whispered.

"Can you piss faster?" One of the guys moaned, leaning on the front of the truck whilst his friend relieved himself against the support beam of an old world bridge long since destroyed by timefall. They'd pulled the truck up on their way to South Knot, and were completely oblivious to Fragile quietly unlocking the truck. She climbed up onto the bed, looking through the cargo pods. A bunch of them seemed to be empty, or filled with rocks. She rifled through the pods, finally finding what she was hoping she wasn't going to find at the bottom - a small, thermonuclear bomb, the timer clicking down slowly. She took a deep breath, lifting her cufflink to silently ping Elle with her location, confirming she had found a bomb, before collecting it up in her arms and stepping carefully out of the truck bed. She wanted to jump, escape quickly, maybe leave the bomb to detonate on some uninhabited beach, but she didn't know if the pressure of jumping would detonate the bomb, so her only option was to make a run for it, and hope she could get to the nearby tar pit on time to throw the bomb in. She broke into a run, feet pouding the hard, uneven ground, breathing feeling impossible, what with the exertion of running and the panic that any wrong move, a trip, dropping the pod, could cause a nuclear explosion. She could see the tar pool ahead, passing under another bridge, so close to being able to safely dispose of the bomb, when suddenly a figure materialised in front of her, a harsh hand pushing her backward. She gasped, screaming in fear as she looked up at the figure. He was tall, broad shouldered, wearing a black cloak, the hood pulled up over a black balaclava, with a gold skull mask on top. Grotesque, looking like the face of a dead body that had nectrotised, the golden chiral matter that forms when a voidout is imminent. He had a red BB pod strapped to his chest, an odradek peeking over his shoulder. Where the fuck did this guy get a BB pod? she thought. She turned around to find she was surrounded by more soldiers, all holding guns pointing at her. She placed the bomb on the floor and knelt to the ground, waiting for the masked figure to start talking, eyes constantly on the timer. She had twenty minutes to figure something out, but deep down, she knew this was it. She wasn't getting out of this alive.

The figure turned to his men and said simply, "Strip her." Fragile gasped, feeling tears of shame prick her eyes as she was manhandled out of her clothes, left in nothing but her underwear, kneeling there, vulnerable in the cold air. The figure turned to walk away from her, walking out from underneath the bridge to stand in the open space ahead, and pointed his finger up at the sky. A spark flew out of his finger, and then the timefall began. She widened her eyes... This was someone with DOOMS, and a high level at that, if he was able to control the timefall. He turned to walk back towards her, clearly ready to address her now. "Listen up, Fragile," came his voice, muffled under the balaclava, unrecognisable as anyone she knew, "I got a proposition for ya. Do you want to live out your days as damaged goods, or would you rather take damage for the goods?" She rolled her eyes, not prepared to be toyed with. "Get to the point," she snapped. "Alright," he continued, "If all you want is to save yourself, you just have to jump. However, if you want to see this altruistic streak of yours through, all you have to do is carry my nuke to the bottomless pit, and toss it in." The choice was already made in her mind. She was not letting this bomb reach South Knot. "Oh sure," he went on, "You'll be the cities saviour, but you will have to walk naked through timefall to do it. Save a lot of your time for a little bit of the city's? Hell, seems like a fair exchange to me." She sighed eyes closing as she realised what was going to happen. As soon as she steps into the timefall, she'll start to age. She'll become an old woman in seconds, losing years of her life to this rain that damages everything it touches. She could feel the tears burning her eyes as she thought of Elle, wondering if her sister would arrive to peel her frail, broken body off the ground.

The figure unclipped his gold mask then, turning away to pull the balaclava from his head. Then he winked out of sight for a second, reappearing right in front of her. She flinched, pulling away at the shock, the flash of chiralium burning the air as he appeared, now maskless, no covering on his face. Slowly she looked up, and her heart broke when she saw his face. Not for herself, but for her sister. Because the man she was looking at, who had called it 'his nuke', was Higgs. So it had been Higgs all along. Elle's suspicions about him hiring more and more porters, they weren't just porters, he was bringing in henchmen. When he'd started acting strange and Fragile had told her he was just having a hard time and to stop worrying and nagging him. All along, Elle had been right. The Social Strand message about the parcel for Middle Knot, Fragile could see in her mind now, a vision of Higgs gently picking up Elle's hand whilst she slept, typing the message in, instructing his cronies to place the bomb in a cargo pod for Fragile to pick up. The way he'd seemed completely unphased whilst Fragile and Elle were distraught following the explosion. How could she have been so stupid, so blind?

He clicked his fingers in front of her face, bringing her back to reality. "You see, the truth is, I don't much care for my face, that's why I hide it now" he said, moving so close now that she felt her personal space violated. He knelt down, face level with her own, "Oh but you, oooh you just love yours, don't you? I bet daddy was real proud." He lurched forward as if to touch her, and she flinched away, hands moving from behind her head ready to push him away, and she felt the soldiers behind her point their guns at her. Higgs waggled his finger at them, smirking with pride at the effect he had on her. Then his hand darted out, grabbing a fistful of her hair, holding her head still as he leaned forward and licked her face. She grimaced, staring into his eyes to see if there was any of the Higgs she'd known left, but she saw nothing. He was dead behind the eyes. "Don't worry," he continued, pulling his balaclava over her , "I won't mess it up. See I want your face to be a kind of testament." The inside of the balaclava stank of sweat and chiralium, and she looked up at him through the eye holes. "Why did you do it?" she demanded, "Why did you betray me?" He smirked, "Because I found someone who completes me, someone who doesn't need me to wear a mask." Fragile shook her head. "Elle didn't need you to wear a mask, imagine how she'd feel knowing you sent a bomb out in her name, knowing you're trying to kill her sister, knowing you've been lying to her from the start when all she wanted was to love you and be loved in return," she snapped back. He stiffened at that, and Fragile knew she'd touched a nerve. He looked like he wanted to respond, and she could see a flash in his eyes of some emotion she couldn't quite pinpoint - regret? Fear? Despair?

But he didn't answer, instead leaning down to pick up the nuke, but just as his hand was about to touch the handle of the cargo pod, a gun shot rang out, and he flinched, pulling his hand back with a hiss of pain. "What the fuck?" he winced, holding the gold mask up to his face as he turned to see Elle standing on top of a burnt out car a few feet away, shrouded in her old porter suit, hood pulled up. "Stand the fuck back!" she shouted, gun pointed at his face. He could see the round was set to shock, his sweet girl not willing to kill anyone. He knew she was logical, and wouldn't do anything to attract BTs or cause a voidout, but he also knew she just didn't have it in her to kill someone. "Whoever you are, leave the bomb and go," she continued, "I won't warn you twice, I'll start shooting." So she didn't know it was him. But she would soon, because of course Fragile would tell her. Higgs looked down at Fragile, glowering at her, furious that he didn't get the satisfaction of watching her run through the timefall. He signalled to his men to leave, and then jumped, winking out of sight within seconds.

Elle holstered the gun, rushing to Fragile's side. "Are you OK? Oh my god, Fragile what the fuck?! Why are you undressed?" Fragile, shaking in the cold and with the shock of what almost happened, just shook her head and shoved the cargo pod into Elle's hands. "Take this," she panted, "Throw it in the tar pit, its just past those cars, it has only six minutes left." Elle's eyes widened, and she turned and ran with the pod, carefully mapping out the terrain ahead of her, dodging cracks and fissures and uneven surfaces in the concrete. She made it to the tar pit and threw the nuke in, watching as it slapped on to the surface, slowly swallowed by the viscous liquid. She turned and ran straight back to Fragile, who's body was now wracked with violent sobs. Elle began picking up her clothes, helping her dress again. And then they heard it, the rumble beneath the tar, the earth shaking boom, and felt a few drops of tar drop onto their heads as the bomb detonated. She pulled Fragile to her chest. "We did it," she whispered, "We saved South Knot."

"Elle," Fragile sobbed, "I have to tell you something." Elle sat on the ground beside her and wrapped an arm around her shoulder, listening. "That man," she continued, "It was him. It was him all along. From the start." Elle felt her blood run cold. Obviously she knew who Fragile meant, her body knew, but her mind was refusing to catch up. She pulled away from Fragile, shaking her head. "It can't have been him," she stuttered, "You must be wrong." Fragile turned to look at her, no frustration in her face, only total understanding. Of course her sister didn't want to believe that the only man she'd ever loved had been planning terrorist attacks all along. "Maybe not from the very beginning," Fragile said, "But you were right, when he started to change, he was bringing in the porters to help him collect the materials to make the bomb, he was turning violent. He used us. I'm so sorry Elle."

Somewhere far away, at the top of a snowcapped mountain, hiding in a tiny bunker, Higgs pulled off his cloak and cursed to himself. He'd hoped he'd never have to look at Elle again, hoped he'd never have to see her face, see any hint of disappointment. He didn't want to forget about her, of course he didn't. The way he'd felt about her had always been real. But when he had met Amelie, everything changed. He'd always wondered about how the world might be fixed, save it from the madness that was coming to them like a steam train. The moment he met Amelie, he just knew she was destined to make the world whole again. She even gave him a bridge baby, to help him stay connected to her, and to the other side, amplifying his DOOMS abilities. She'd told him he wasn't just a delivery guy anymore. She called him her herald. The herald to usher in the new world, and given him everything he ever wanted - a sense of importance, of purposes, a way to get his name in historic records, remembered for the things he'd done. But the things she had asked him to do, he knew Elle wouldn't understand, knew she would be afraid. He so desperately wanted to be able to share this with her, but Amelie had told him, ordered him, to cut off any outside distractions. Told him he didn't need Elle. And though it felt wrong, felt like every fibre of his being screamed to him that he absolutely needed her, he listened to Amelie.

Besides, there had been five extinction events over the course of history already. They were inevitable. And all Amelie wanted to do was stop the useless attempts to prevent the next one, the Last Stranding, and bring it about sooner. Whether they liked it or not, humans would be wiped off the face of the earth eventually, and trying to stop it was a fool's errand. Why sacrifice what little you've got in the here and now for a future that'll never come? That's what Amelie had drilled into his head when he'd mentioned he had a woman he loved, how they'd talked about having their own bunker somewhere, maybe having a kid or two. He'd wanted that future. But Amelie had just shook her head, smiled at him condescendingly. "It's a pretty dream," she'd said, "But it will never happen. Why would you want to bring children into a dying world, Higgs? It would be cruel to give Elle something so wonderful only for it to be taken away a short time later." She had repeated this time and time again, and so eventually, he began to believe it. He couldn't just tell Elle he didn't want her anymore, that he had to leave. He tried being cruel, tried snapping at her, changing his behaviour in the hopes she'd ask him to leave. He was a coward. He couldn't walk away from her. But everytime he spoke to Amelie, she asked why he was still carrying Elle around like a dead weight. Told him she was disappointed in him, and that if he couldn't do what needed to be done, she'd have to find a new herald.

So he'd done as she'd asked. After bombing Middle Knot, he felt like something in him changed. He'd been devastated at the thought of it, but Amelie had pushed him. She'd made him feel like he was the herald of change so of course he had to start releasing the bombs. He'd had another one planned for South Knot too. He'd left after the Middle Knot bombing, leaving a note for Elle, begging her to remember him as they once were. Before all this happened. He'd cried writing the note, remembering the first time he'd looked at her face and realised how beautiful she is. When she'd been so open with him and told him about her childhood. How she hadn't looked at him with fear or disgust when he'd confessed he had to kill his uncle in self defense. The tears came thicker and faster when he remembered overhearing her telling Fragile that she thought she was falling in love with him, and when she'd come back to that private room, looking at him with lust in her eyes, when she'd taken him in, and they'd made love for the first time, him being the first man to take her, and all the times she'd told him there would never be anyone else, that it was him or no one, and he'd known she was speaking true. He sobbed when he realised he'd betrayed her over and over again, now he was about to do it again, with nothing but a fucking note. And when he walked out of their bunker, turning one last time to look into their home, his first home where he'd felt like he belonged, where he had never spent a single day wondering if he was truly wanted, because he knew he was, he wondered if this was all a huge mistake. And then, as he walked past the control room on his way to ensure the truck was ready to go with the nuke for South Knot, he'd looked up and saw her face over the control panel, and confirmed that yes, he absolutely was making a huge mistake, one that he couldn't stop himself from making. So he'd waved off the truck, and blinked out of Port Knot, up to his bunker to start preparing for what came next. He'd started decorating the walls of this bunker with images of a man he had been spying on for a while, who Amelie had mentioned was the only one who could connect the UCA.

This was his next target, and he was going to kill him. He made a note in his journal. The next location he was going to take out was Central Knot City, and he was going to make sure that Sam Porter Bridges was there when he did.

Chapter Text

Another couple of weeks had passed since Fragile intercepted the bomb meant for South Knot, and Elle had finally accepted that the masked man was Higgs. She couldn't really deny it, although she wanted to. She had tried reaching him through his cufflink, desperate to hear his voice, to ask him why he would try to harm Fragile. She couldn't make herself believe that he was doing this out of hate, that this was something he wanted to do. Deep down, she felt like he was the figurehead for someone else, that he was being puppeteered. But every time she tried to rationalise what he'd done, Fragile got angry. "He would have had me run through timefall, Elle," she'd snapped one evening in the control room, "I know you love him, but for fuck's sake, Elle, get a grip. He's a terrorist, he's not one of us anymore. You need to forget about him." And Elle knew she should, but she just couldn't shake the feeling that she might still be able to reach him.

One evening, whilst sitting in her bunker, that now felt completely empty and silent all the time without Higgs, there was a tap at the door. Fragile, returning from a short trip away, something about recruiting a new porter, she said, as she sat at the table. "Name's Sam Porter Bridge," Fragile explained, nodding as Elle offered her a chiral tea, "Stubborn bastard, says he won't work for anyone but himself, been independent for a while." Elle looked up from the pile of manifests she was pretending to look over, anything to keep her hands and mind busy. "Never heard of him," she responded robotically. "Good man," Fragile said, a touch of regret in her tone. "Could've used someone like him." Elle hummed in response, though her thoughts were far away from there. Sam Porter Bridges was just another name in a sea of names she didn't care about and couldn't spare the bandwidth to think about.

They sat in relevant silence at the table, as they did most nights since everything kicked off, every now and then one of them would say something to try and fill the air but it always died back down to silence. Hours later, they were both startled out of their stupor by their cuff links beeping an urgent alert. Elle winced, knowing it was going to be another disaster. "Central Knot City destroyed in voidout" the alert read. Elle let out a sigh of relief - a voidout, still a horrific incident, but not a bomb, not Higgs. Fragile read out the rest of the alert, "A corpse disposal team, a necrotising body pulled into the tar, a... fuck. A Gigas BT." Elle closed her eyes. She'd never seen one of those monstrous beasts before, but she had heard tales of gigantic BTs, like the huge, grotesque octopuses, the ones that looked like lions and whales erupting from the tar, and the mere thought of them made her shudder. "It says here the BT was controlled... by a masked figure. I think it was... him," Fragile said quietly. Elle put her face in her hands, resisting the urge to pull hair from her head. "The only survivors were Sam Porter Bridges and a BB unit," Fragile continued. Who the fuck was this Sam Porter Bridges guy and why was he suddenly the only name she was hearing? And further to the point, how did he survive a voidout? "A survivor?" Elle breathed, thinking about her parents, her little community. Why did they all die but this Sam person survived? "He's a repatriate," Fragile said, as though this was obvious information, "He will just keep coming back, he can't die."

Over the following months, Fragile spent more and more time away from Port Knot. She had been tasked with helping Sam, using her jumping abilities to support him in moving around the UCA, connecting preppers and distribution centres to the Chiral Network, Bridges believing that this was the key to preventing a Last Stranding. The more Elle heard about Sam from Fragile, the more she thought he seemed like a good guy. No delivery was too much for him, he was connecting people, doing the work Elle had grown up loving. His dedication, perseverance and drive making him a valuable asset to the cause. Elle had always been weary of Bridges though. The late Bridget Strand, the founder of Bridges and the president of the UCA, had tried to poach Elle years ago, offering her great contracts, and even a bridge baby of her own, but she'd refused, preferring to stick with the family business instead. She didn't trust any of the Bridges employees that she'd met through Fragile. Deadman, the lead doctor on the medical team, was basically an artificial human, telling anyone who would listen that he was made up of cadavers and donated organs and body parts. He seemed friendly enough, but she had always steered clear, even when Fragile told her he was integral in Sam's expedition. Then there was Die-Hardman, who had been Bridget's right hand man. He was very official, again seeming like he was not unkind, but way too formal, and he wore a mask all the time, which made her feel uneasy. He'd required help from Fragile Express a few times, and Elle had spoken with him once or twice and felt rubbed up the wrong way with his commanding tone of voice. Then there was Mama, probably the only one she really liked. She was one of the greatest scientists in the UCA, creating tech and gadgets that allowed for huge strides for porters - and had been happy to share schematics with Fragile Express - they had their cufflinks to thank her for. And finally, Heartman. Another one that Elle felt she could like. He had lost his wife and daughter in the Death Stranding, and when he had been resusitated himself, he had been left with the DOOMs ability that meant he "died" every 21 minutes, for three minutes, during which time he scoured the beach for his family. Elle wondered how that was any way for a person to live, but how could she judge? She was pining after a terrorist.

Sam's expedition eventually led him to Port Knot City, to deliver a package to the Bridges distribution centre on site, after which, he would take the crossing to Lake Knot City with Fragile and Elle - the three of them were going over together, as Fragile wanted to move operations for Fragile Express to Lake Knot to try and get a fresh start. Elle came down to the distribution centre to meet Sam and Fragile. "Sam, its good to finally meet you, I'm Eleanor Veil, but you can call me Elle," she smiled. This was the first time she was meeting Sam in person, and she reached out a hand, expecting him to shake it in greeting, but instead he flinched back. "Oh, um, I'm... I'm sorry," she said frowning, wondering if she'd said something wrong. "You're fine," he grunted back, "Good to meet you." He walked down the slope into the distribution centre, and Elle mouhted "What the fuck?" to Fragile, who whispered, "He has aphenphosmphobia, so no touching." Elle nodded, secretly feeling like that sounded like a made up word. "Lets go up top, I want to get a good look out at the crossing before we go," Fragile said, and the pair of them jumped to the top of the distribution centre. Timefall began as soon as they got up there, so Elle pulled her hood up quickly, cursing as a drop of timefall landed on her hair, streaking it grey. Fragile quickly materialised her timefall umbrella, holding it over her head. "It doesn't look too clear," she mumbled, shaking her head, "Fuck, I wanted to get away tonight." Elle frowned, realising that only a few moments ago the sky had been clear, the crossing had looked calm. "Something's not right, I feel like there's... no surely not, we never get BTs here, but I'm sensing chiral activity in the air."

All of a sudden, the courtyard of Port Knot erupted, tar seeping up through cracks in the ground, and when Elle and Fragile looked over the edge of the distribution centre, they saw Sam walk out, odradek blinking rapidly. Guysers of tar spouted up from the ground, and Sam walked out further, when suddenly, hands reached up from the tar, BTs grabbing at him. But as soon as they pulled him to the ground, they settled, and disappeared, as if controlled by someone. "Wait," Elle hissed, pointing out ahead of Sam, "Over there, a person." Fragile sighed, and Elle clenched her teeth, realising who it was. He walked towards Sam slowly, before rising from the ground, suspended on a rock, floating there in the air above Sam. "The name's Higgs," came the voice from behind the mask, under the cloak, "The particle of God that permeates all existence." Elle groaned, "When did he become so full of himself?" she asked, a small part of her embarrassed that her man was acting this way. Higgs looked up then, spotting Fragile standing on top of the distribution centre, "Ahh, so it was you that dragged him into all this," he shouted to her, before clicking his fingers to make her umbrella disappear. Fragile gasped and immediately jumped away, leaving Elle stood on her own, visible to him now. His chest tightened slightly, not wanting her to see him this way. But now she knew. No doubt Fragile had told her it was him under the bridge that day, him who had sent the bombs. So he decided it was time to rip off the band aid.

"Sweetheart," he shouted up to her, "Didn't expect to see you up there, but my you are a sight. My beautiful girl. Ain't she beautiful, Sam?" Sam turned to look up at Elle, clearly finding out just now that Elle and Higgs had history. Elle had everything to say and nothing at all. She just glared down at him, observing, the disappointment all over her face. "Come on, sugar," he continued, "Don't you have a smile for me? Why don't you jump on down here and give your man a kiss?" She shook her head, stepping back out of sight and letting out a gush of air, hand against her chest feeling her heart pounding her ribcage. "She's just a little shy, my girl," Higgs continued, before turning his attention back to Sam.

Higgs stepped forward, getting into Sam's personal space, taking a long sniff near the porter's face. Sam shuddered. "What's that?" Higgs asked, "Bridget Strand is dead? America's last president, dead and burned. Oh, and now the girl's been chosen to take mommy's place... well that won't work. She's not cut out for politics is she? But don't worry, I'll find her. You see, I've come to learn the truth about the Death Stranding. There's so much you people don't know. The girl for example, she's not like you and me. DOOMs ain't her thing. She's more about destruction on a world wide scale. An extinction entity." So that was it. Elle finally had some clarity. He had been speaking to Amelie Strand, Bridget Strand's daughter - and she was an extinction entity. So all his talk about death, his obsession with Egyptian death myths, his note that said it would all be over soon... He was helping Amelie bring about the Last Stranding, an extinction event to wipe out all life on earth. Everything was starting to make sense.

Elle had been thinking, completely missing the rest of Higgs' droning speech, but her attenton was grabbed at the sound of tar explosions and a guttural moan that sounded inhuman. She stood up to look back out at the courtyard below and gulped, tears pricking the back of her eyes as she saw Higgs had summoned an enormous BT - huge, with grabbing tentacles, a horrifying sight. And Higgs... he laughed. "Oooh, he's hungry," he said, a smile on his voice as he turned to Sam, "And you're on the menu. And all it'll take is one itty bitty voidout to blow us all to kingdom come. So how about it? Aren't you getting tired of the grind? Isn't this what you've been waiting for this whole time? A game over?" Higgs held a finger up in front of his face, before blinking out of sight and leaving Sam behind. Elle felt him appear behind her, taking her eyes off Sam as he fought the BT, throwing blood grenades at it's hide. "You need to get out of here, Elle," Higgs growled, his voice no longer jovial and taunting, but commanding and serious. "This ain't no place for a good lady." She snorted. "And where is a good place?" she demanded, "Will there be any good places for me to hide when you destroy the world with your new girl?" He just shook his head. "You don't understand, you just... you don't understand. But I don't want you dying in a voidout," he said. "Too fucking bad," Elle hissed, "I'm going to help him." And she blinked out of sight, just as Higgs reached out a hand to try and grab her. When he disappeared, he did the same, running from the scene.

Down in the tar, she stood in the waist deep liquid, and Sam turned to look at her. She pulled out her handgun from the holster on her leg, switching the rounds to blood bullets that she'd taken from their stores since no one wanted Fragile Express deliveries anymore. Together she and Sam beat back the BT, subduing it enough for Sam to throw a final blood grenade, and then they watched as it erupted into chiral crystals, dead at last, and the timefall stopped. Fragile appeared beside them then. "Well done, both of you," Fragile said, looking between the two of them. Elle gestured to Sam, "It was mostly him, I just stepped in at the end." Sam nodded in appreciation, then said "So what, is he some relation to you?" Elle and Fragile exchanged a look, before Elle spoke. "We are... we were together. Lovers," Elle said, wistfully, "He took a weird turn, changed almost overnight and thats who he is now." Sam nodded, his gaze on Elle now a little suspicious. Anyone with history with a terrorist could be a threat. "He mentioned Amelie," Sam said, "Talked about finding her, bringing about the Last Stranding. I need to find my sister first." Elle's head snapped up at that. "She's your sister?" she said, her voice coming out louder than anticipated, "So your sister has manipulated him and we're going to try and save her?" Sam frowned, clearly not one for arguing. He grunted and walked away, muttering something about seeing them on the ship. Elle turned to Fragile. "What the fuck, Fragile?" she snapped, "Did you know he was related to Amelie? How do we know he's not involved in some way?" Fragile looked angry. "We know he's not involved because he's helping us," Fragile said sternly, "You can't speak to him like that, he's helping us, at great personal risk, and not only is he having to worry about connecting the UCA, BTs deliveries, MULEs and everything else he will come across on this journey, he now has to worry that Higgs is constantly hunting him. I get it that you love Higgs, I do. But he loves his sister too, and honestly, I'd say from my own experience that Amelie will be the one who can be reasoned with. You saw Higgs, he's lost. You need to let him go. We're getting on the ship to Lake Knot now. Come on." Fragile turned to follow Sam. "I'm not going yet," Elle said, quietly. Fragile turned, already knowing why Elle was hanging back. "What do you mean you're not going yet, there's nothing here to keep you," she responded. Then it dawned on her that she was going looking for him. "Elle, please," Fragile said, pain in her voice, "I can't see you lose yourself for him. He's going to pull you down a path I can't follow." Elle shook her head. "You don't understand, Fragile. You've never loved anyone this way," she whispered, "I have to speak to him if I can, I have to try and reach him, pull him back to us if I can." Fragile shook her head, disappointment all over her face. "Back to us?" she snapped. "Back to you. I don't want him." And she turned, away, walking to the ship to leave, leaving Elle standing there in the remains of the tar and a field of chiral crystals.

Days later, after fruitless searching for any sign of him around the wilds outside of Port Knot, the whole time sensing she was being watched, Elle sat slumped against a boulder, cufflink buzzing faintly with static. Then... "Elle." Her breath caught. His voice, gravelly and broken, filtered through the interference. "You gotta stop lookin' for me. I'm not the man you loved anymore. I'm gone, lost to you. You need to forget me." She felt a sob catch at the back of her throat. "No," she whispered, but the line cut. She was about to sink into despair when she realised, provided he wasn't jamming his signal, she should be able to track his pin. She pulled up the satellite on the cufflink and began tracking it, holding her breath as the cufflink buzzed and beeped and whirred. Just as she was about to lose hope, a faint signal popped up. A bunker at the top of a mountain a few miles away. She looked up from the map and spotted the mountain in the distance. It was huge, and she knew from passing it before, it was not going to be an easy climb. But she'd do it, for him. "I'm coming, Higgs," she whispered, climbing into the tri cruiser beside her.

The climb nearly killed her. After so long working from the comfort of the Port Knot control room, she'd lost her fitness levels that once would have seen her scale this mountain in a few hours, but it took her almost a full day to reach the top, stopping constantly to take breaks, eat cryptobiotes and contemplate every life choice she'd made that led her here. By the time she reached the top, knee deep in snow and her throat tasting like metal, she felt ready to collapse. But there was the bunker in front of her. Some old, abandoned building that had clearly been left vacant for a while. She tried the door, expecting it to be locked, but it swung open revealing stairs leading down to another door, also open. She guessed the treacherous climb was enough of a security system that you could leave your bunker unlocked up here. Inside the bunker, the air was stale, metallic. The place was bare, save for a rumpled sleeping bag on the floor. But the walls - dear God, the walls - were a lattice of absolute madness. Maps of the UCA smeared with ink, surveillance photos of Fragile and Sam, scrawled notes spiralling into paranoia, and a huge scribble that read "Higgs was here". She found a skull on the desk, a human skull, though it seemed mishapen, maybe from an early civilisation. There were pizza boxes everywhere, all empty. She even noticed a few pictures of Sam sleeping, and one of him falling off a tri-cruiser with the word "LOL" written over it in red writing. How the fuck was he getting these pictures? There was thread connecting everything together but none of it made any sense, and no matter how many times she walked around the room, the threads seemed to all connect to each other then circle back then go a different direction. It was hurting her head. Then her eyes landed on a photo that was tucked into the sleeping bag. An old photo that she recongised immediately. Her and Higgs standing outside their Port Knot bunker, holding the keys. A happy day, when they got their first home together. He'd kept a hold of it. A silent tear rolled down her cheek, quickly disturbed by the sound of the door creaking behind her.

She spun round, heart in her throat, and there he was, no mask, staring at her. He looked different, tired. He wore black liner around his eyes, and across his foreheard he had some scientific or mathematical forumla tattooed in two thin lines, stark against his skin. "You shouldn't be here," he said, flatly. Elle's eyes filled with tears at the rejection. "What the fuck have you done?" she asked, voice barely a whisper. Silence. His jaw clenched, hands flexing at his sides. "Tell me how she got to you," she demanded, voice cracking, "What did she promise you? Why are you letting her use you like this?" He looked down now, struggling to meet her eyes as he leaned against the door frame, shadows cutting harsh across the tattoos on his brow. He looked up again, eyes searching hers, torn between hardness and a flicker of something vulnerable, before shrugging almost sadly. "You think I don't ask myself the same thing every damn day?" he rasped, "What I've done, what I'm doin'. But Amelie, she... she opened my eyes, Elle. She showed me whats comin', whats always been comin'. The end ain't somethin' we can stop. It's somethin' we gotta shepherd." Elle's breath shook, her fists curling. "Shepherd?" she exclaimed, "You're talking about blowing up cities, murdering people. Thats not shephering Higgs, that's slaughter. He flinched at her tone, jaw tightening, but he didn't snap back like she half expected. Instead, his shoulders slumped slightly, a tiredness breaking through his bravado.

"You think I want this?" His voice cracked for the first time. "You think I sleep easy at night knowing what I've done? I don't. Every face, every scream, I carry 'em. But I'm... I'm scared Elle." Her heart stuttered. His voice lowered to something softer, almost a confession. "I'm scared 'cause if Amelie's right - and I know she's right - then all of this is inevitable. The Last Stranding, the death of the world as we know it... it ain't somethin' we can side step. And if I don't play my part, if I don't take control of it, then I'm just another poor bastard waiting to get swallowed up. At least this way I'm... somethin'. At least I matter." Elle stepped closer to him, shaking her head. "You already mattered. To me. To Fragile. You had a life, a home. You were not alone." His eyes softened then, and for a moment he looked like the man she'd built a bunker with, the man who knew how to make her laugh, how to comfort her, who felt like her missing puzzle piece. He looked like he might move towards her, reach for her. But then the hardness snapped back into place. He pushed himself off the doorframe, pacing like a caged animal. "Don't you see, that life - us - it was fleeting. A little dream we built on top of rot. This," he gestured to the scrawled walls, the madness around him, "this is the truth. And you can hate me for it, but I can't turn back now."

She slowly shook her head. "I don't think I have it in me to hate you, Higgs," she said, sadly, and she noted the flicker of sadness in his face when she spoke, "You're not a monster, you're just scared. And she's using that against you, weaponising you for her own goals so she doesn't have to get her hands dirty." His throat worked as he swallowed, fighting the sting in his eyes. He wanted to tell her she was wrong. He wanted to laugh in her face, because she didn't know Amelie like he did. But the truth of her words lodged deep, sharper than any blade. Instead, he whispered, almost pleading, "Don't follow me anymore, Elle. Please. I can't protect you from what's comin'." Her voice rose, sharp and trembling, her frustration breaking through. "You think I ever expected you to protect me from the end of the world? Do you?" she demanded. "You're blowing up cities, Higgs, with my name on the manifests! Do you think that protects me? Do you think ending everything faster than it has to is protecting me?!" His jaw clenched, but she saw it, the flicker of shame, the way his bottom lip trembled before he bit down on it. "All I ever needed," she continued, "was for you to be with me. Thats it. If the world was gonna fall apart, I wanted to face it with you. Not spend what little time we had left wondering what horror you were going to unleash next." She stepped closer to him, cautiously, her hand trembling as she reached out. She brushed her fintertips against his, curling them gently around his hand. His knuckles twitched under her touch, and he realised then how touch starved he was. This small contact was almost enough to derail him. He wanted to grab her hand, hold her against his body, feel her warmth, smell her familiar scent, kiss her lips. His bottom lip quivered again, his breath shuddering out as though he was one heartbeat away from breaking entirely.

"Elle," his voice cracked, strangled, and for just an instant, he looked like her Higgs, not the mad prophet he was pretending to be. But then his gaze hardened again, pulling away from her and breaking that sweet skin on skin contact that he had been craving for so long, knowing that if he gave in to it, Amelie would find someone else. "You need to leave, Elle," his voice was low, rough, almost pleading under the steel. "Don't... don't get in my way." She glared at him, a look of betrayal on her face. "Is... is that a threat?" she breathed. "No," he whispered back, hurt that she would think that. "So that's it, then?" she demanded, "After everything you just want me to walk away?" His mouth opened, the shape of 'I love you' caught on his tongue, but he stopped himself, jaw locking tight. He swallowed the words back, the silence between them cutting deeper than anything he could have said. Elle's voice cracked as she pushed on, "What does Amelie have on you? What the fuck is she holding over you? Did you..." she faltered, the thought burning her throat, "... did you fall in love with her?" His eyes widened just slightly, a flash of hurt before he masked it. But, infuriatingly, he still didn't answer. "You're not answering me," Elle pressed, the frustration palpable in her voice, "What is it? Because this," she gestured at the walls, "this isn't you! So what to fuck did she do to you?" He still didn't answer, so she closed the gap between them, standing on her toes to bring her eyes almost level to his, glaring into his soul. "You think I'm gonna just drop it?" she said, her voice quiet, controlled now, but he could sense the tense anger beneath the surface as she continued, "No. Not when I can see it all over you, that something is wrong here. So tell me - why are you letting her in?"

"Just stop!" Higgs finally bellowed, his voice cracking like a whip, sharper than he intended and making her jump back. He clenched his fists at his sides, his whole body trembling. "You don't get it, Elle, you never could. You think this is some simple story where love fixes everything? Where me and you ride out the end together, happy as fucking clams?" His voice wavered, betraying the heat in his eyes. He blinked fast, like it might disguise the tears threatening to form, but Elle saw them. She saw him, beneath the mask, beneath the madness, still that scared boy who, after everything, had found himself back in another prison, controlled by someone else who wanted to stop him from seeing the outside. Her throat tightened, but she said nothing. She said nothing, just looked at him, disappointment carved into her face, tears sliding silently down her cheeks. She shook her head, slow and heavy, then stepped around him and made for the door.

"Elle..." Higgs started, his voice softer, but he stopped himself, jaw snapping shut. His stance shifted, shoulders squared again as if the outburst hadn't happened, as if he wasn't crumbling underneath it all. She sighed, and opened the door, walking up the steps to exit the main door of the bunker, closing it behind her. Outside, her breath caught when she heard the scrape of his boots coming up the stairs to the main door. For a heartbeat, she dared to hope. Dared to believe he'd follow, call her name, something.

Instead, the metallic clunk of the lock slid into place, silent and heavy.

Chapter Text

The descent from Higgs' mountain bunker was punishing. She got herself caught in a blizzard, and so struggled to see where she was putting her feet, what with the snow falling in heavy sheets around her, her eyes streaming with tears from Higgs' rejection, the finality of the door locked behind her, and also the cold air whipping her eyes. Several times she slid over, feeling gravity pulling her down, but she managed to stop herself, muscles screaming as she dug her heels in, trying to find some purchase in the snow covered icy surfaces. Soon, she fell for real, placing her foot on a rock that immediately slid out of its place, sending her falling several feet, landing flat on her back on an outcropping. The wind was knocked out of her, and she gasped, trying to gulp in air. The pain in her back, her chest, her arms and legs, and her heart, were almost too much to bear, and she wondered if she just died here, maybe a voidout would wipe out her, Higgs, the entire mountain, and they could roam the hillside as a pair of lost souls. How poetic. But she was too scared to die, or thats what she would tell herself. The reality was, deep down, she knew there was good in this world, and she wanted to do her part to keep it plodding on as long as she could.

When she finally made it to Lake Knot City, she was directed by a Bridges employee to the small office that Fragile Express was now occupying within the distribution centre. She stepped in, the building humming faintly with the sound of the machinery beyond the walls, preparing deliveries for dutiful porters to take out to those in need. Fragile was already there, arms crossed, seated at the desk in the centre of the room. She eyed Elle with a hint of disdain, but also relief that her sister was OK. she was constantly worried that every time she let Elle out of her sight, the next time she saw her would be her standing beside Higgs, with a gold mask of her own, sending bombs into cities and causing voidouts and coming for Fragile. Elle looked at her sheepishly, noting her rigid posture and narrowed eyes. "You stayed back," Fragile said, shaking her head, "After everything, seeing him controlling a BT, you still stayed back." Elle looked away, not in the mood to argue, but also not in the mood to hear Fragile's criticisms. "Do you have any idea what your choices mean for me? For our relationship?" Fragile continued, "He destroyed our company's reputation, that our father worked so hard on building. He put bombs in our trucks, in our hands. He almost made me..." her voice cracked for a second, a flash of the memory of her knelt on the ground, surrounded by Higgs and his henchmen, about to push her out into the timefall. She recovered sharply, "And still you chose him."

Her words tore through Elle like glass. Her hands clenched into fists at her side, trembling. "Don't say it like that," she said, voice hoarse, "Don't act like it was some easy choice. You weren't there Fragile, you didn't see him just now." Fragile's jaw tightened. "No you didn't see him Elle. Not for what he really is. You saw the man you wanted to see, who doesn't exist anymore." Elle shook her head and straightened up in defiance. "He told me what he and Amelie are planning... The Last Stranding. He said she's going to bring about the end. And still..." she felt tears in her eyes as she remembered the way his lip trembled, the way he looked scared, "Still I look at him and I know he's not doing this because he wants to. He's scared. He's in too deep. I know he's wrong, but-" Fragile cut her off, eyes burning through her grief. "You cannot keep excusing his actions, Elle, when will you just accept that he's still choosing to keep doing this?!" Fragile shouted, Elle looking with shock at her sister who always seemed so calm and collected. "I can't just switch off my feelings, Fragile, don't you understand that? Don't tell me to stop loving him," she was almost pleading now, "He's mine... He's my heart, my home, I can't and I won't give up on him."

The silence that followed was thick and suffocating. Then Elle's voice dropped, bitter and venomous in her grief and suffering. "Maybe you don't get it. Maybe you've never loved someone like this, never experienced being loved the way he loves me," she said, voice quiet, menacing. "Don't stand there, telling me that I've made some choice that was easy to make. I know what you're getting at, that I chose him over you. You're my sister. I never asked for this war between us all, between the man I love who I know is being manipulated and used, and the sister I love who keeps asking me to let him burn."

Fragile's face went cold, offended by this outburst. "No, you're not stuck between love for him and love for me," she said, "You're stuck between good and evil, and every time you're presented with the choice, you lean towards evil." Elle opened her mouth to argue back but Fragile held up her hand, silencing her. "He blew up Middle Knot. He was going to strap a bomb to me and make me run through the timefall with it. He's made it so that every life lost in Middle Knot is on our hands, and he's done it all just to prove a point. And you," she pointed a finger at Elle, jabbing it into her shoulder, "You still defend him. You eat up the little crocodile tears he puts on. How do you know he's not manipulating you?" Elle just shook her head. "You think you know, but you don't," she whispered, defeated, "He's not lost, not yet." She turned to leave, pausing with her hand on the door handle as Fragile responded. "I understand more than you think, but it doesn't matter. Because I'll never forgive him. Even if he crawled back begging, even if he changed. To me, he's gone. And you need to learn to let him go." Elle just sighed, opening the door and storming out, leaving Fragile alone."Or you'll just drown with him," Fragile said, mostly to herself.

Shortly after, Fragile jumped to Sam's private room at the distribution centre at South Knot City after sensing something was wrong. When she arrived, he was sitting on the edge of the bed, deep in thought. "Sam, what's wrong?" she asked, rushing to his side. "Fragile," he said, a little shocked at her sudden appearance, "Son of a bitch, it was him." She looked at him, brow furrowed. "What are you talking about?" she asked. He looked over at a cargo pod in the corner, unclipped from his backpack. "The package I picked up for you, the one from Lake Knot..." She felt her eyebrows knitting together, further confusion in her expression. "Hold on, I wasn't expecting a package..." Sam frowned now, standing to pace the room. "He said Fragile herself was the client, the system was down, so some Bridges delivery guy had to hand it over in person." This felt like a familiar situation, where she was the one who was handed a package. "Wait... who handed you it?" she asked. Sam was losing patience. "Look, the point is, it was Higgs," he said. Fragile felt panic rising. "I need to see it, now!" she snapped. Sam picked up the cargo pod from the corner and laid it at her feet, and she crouched, cutting through the tape and unfastening the latch to lift the lid open. When she saw what was inside, she jumped back, Sam looking on in confusion. "It's a nuke!" she stuttered, feeling the same panic as before rising, especially when she saw the timer was ticking down - twenty minutes left. "Not again, that bastard can't do this to me again!" she hissed, "The timers already started, I can't stop it... Sam, you have to get rid of it. Take it down to the tar pit, the one next to South Knot. If we chuck it in there, we just might have a chance." Sam looked at Fragile, then the bomb, then back at Fragile, before crouching to carefully close the pod again. Without another word, he pulled on his suit, backpack and BB pod, grabbed the bomb, and left.

The tar lake outisde South Knot bubbled black and slick under the grey sky. Fragile sat at the edge beside Sam, and they remained in silence following the deep boom of the nuke detonating at the bottom of the pit. Fragile flinched at the sound, the memory tearing through her. "Last time," she whispered, "Last time he tried this, it was South Knot, too. He was going to make me hold that bomb, and run into timefall to throw it in this same tar pit, because I stopped him getting it to the city. I would've done it, sacrificed my youth, burned in the rain, but Elle," her voice cracked, "Elle saved me. She's the only reason I'm still breathing, still have my own body and not that of an old woman." Sam said nothing, letting the sound of the tar bubbling fill the silence. Fragile swallowed, her voice hardening with anger. "And now, she's still out there clinging to him. Loving him. Even after this. I despair with her, Sam. Everyday I wonder if there'll come a time she'll leave and start fighting with him, and where does that leave us?"

Sam took a deep breath and turned to look at her, words coming out slow and measured. "I don't know your sister like you do, but I've seen enough," he said, "If she was going to stand with Higgs, help him, fight by his side, she'd have left already. Wouldn't be sticking by us if she could just as easily walk out and go to him." Fragile smiled sadly, "You don't know what he means to her." Sam grunted at that. "No, I do. More than you think. I loved someone once, but I lost her. If I'd have thought there was any way I could have saved her, shit, maybe I would be going just as crazy as Elle," he picked at a loose thread on his suit, clearly not comfortable with being so vulnerable, but still, he continued, "Doesn't matter what the world thinks, you just hold on because... losing them feels worse than death." Fragile's expression softened despite herself, pain flickering across her features. Sam stood, brushing grass and dried mud from his suit. "So yeah, I get why she can't let him go. Doesn't mean I agree, or that I think its safe. But I get it," he said, "But don't ask me to take sides, your fight is with her, and I'm not getting in the middle. My mission is still the same, I'll connect the UCA, and if I have to, I'll take Higgs out. I'll take no enjoyment, but if its a necessity then I'll do it." He turned to walk away, trudging back up the hill to get back on the road, Lou gurgling in the BB pod. He turned back to look at Fragile, maybe throw her a supportive smile, but when he looked, she was already gone.

Fragile jumped back to Lake Knot, landing outside the office door. She was warring with herself, not sure whether or not she should tell Elle that Higgs had tried again to bomb South Knot, this time dragging Sam into it. On the one hand, she wanted to tell her in the hopes that maybe, just maybe, this would be the last straw for her. That she'd finally realise what a monster Higgs was and finally turn against him. But on the other hand, did she really want to put her sister through more pain, more mental turmoil? Was it kinder to just let her believe ther was good left in him? Regardless, would she even care? Would telling her make any difference?

She decided not to tell her. She couldn't handle seeing the look on her face, knowing that she chose to put it there by telling her something she didn't need to know. She sighed, and opened the door. "Hey, sis-" she started, but stopped when she realised the room was empty. A small note on the desk grabbed Fragile's attention. "Fragile, I've gone away for a few days to clear my head. I will come back, so don't worry about me. I just need some space. Speak soon. Elle."

Fragile knew. She wasn't stupid. Deep down she knew Elle was going to look for him, to try and appeal to the man she once knew. She wanted to be disappointed in her, angry. But all she could do was think of Sam's words, and appreciate that her sister was just trying her best.

Chapter Text

Of course, when she received the Social Strand message, she had to follow it.

"Meet me at the location I've pinged to you - H"

It was him, it had to be. Truthfully, for all she knew it could be someone who found out she was Higgs' lover, luring her somewhere to use her as bait to get Higgs to stop, but she couldn't stop the giddy feeling that told her this was it, he was going to tell her he was leaving Amelie's side, and wanted to work on being better. She'd followed the ping to a small, abandoned bunker a few clicks west of Edge Knot City. An odd location, she'd thought, but nonetheless, when he called, she followed. She wasn't sure how to behave here, so chose to rap her knuckles on the bunker door a few times. "Come on down," came his voice from inside. She was reminded of her birthday, her first birthday with Higgs. He'd made her leave the bunker to stay with Fragile the night before, and when she'd come back on the day, with strict instructions to knock before entering, he'd called her down in the same way. She'd descended the stairs and walked into the bunker to find every surface laden with flowers of all different varieties. "Where did you get these from?" she'd cried out, overwhelmed by how beautiful they were, their perfume filling her head. "There's a prepper out there, has a greenhouse in her bunker, grows all types of flowers down there," he'd smiled, delighted by the look on her face, "I've been talking to her for a while, figuring out how to get them here and managed to get a truck full back without you knowing a damn thing."

But this time, when she opened the door at the bottom of the stairs, it was just a cold room, a blanket on the floor, nothing on the walls. A basic shelter, a stop gap for someone travelling who might need a place to lay their head before setting off again. But in the middle of the room... Higgs. "You came," he said, voice hoarse, smiling sadly." She nodded, "Of course I did." He rubbed his chin, hand rustling through the stubble that had grown a little longer than he usually allowed it. "I thought after... after last time, you were finished with me," he said, his voice now barely a whisper with the effort it was taking him not to cry, "I thought I'd finally pushed you too far." She so desperately wanted to run to him, hold him, but she also wanted to restrain herself, hear what he had to say. "What did you want me here for?" she asked, hands fidgeting at her sides. He nodded slowly, before speaking. "I wanted to see you, to apologise. I think about you everyday, and I just... I can't keep doing this Elle," he said, "I want to be near you again, I need to be near you." She bit her bottom lip, hard, to stop from letting herself break. "But what does that mean?" she demanded, "Does that mean you want me to join forces with you? Because I can't, I won't fight against my sister." Higgs shook his head quickly, stepping towards her. "No, no baby. I don't want that. I just want you, I can't get your face out of my head and I just need to here, I don't want to lose you."

"You won't lose me, Higgs," she said, feeling herself pulling towards him like a magnet, "I need you too, I need you back. I've been telling you that from the beginning." She reached out and stroke his face gently, the wind knocked out of her when she finally felt his skin again. He hummed deep in his throat, leaning into her touch, eyes closed with contentment. He turned his head to kiss the palm of her hand, and she felt the familiar need in her chest. "Will you stay with me tonight?" he asked her, his voice whisper quiet as he kissed her palm again, this time allowing his tongue to gently flick out against her hand. She answered by lunging forwards, feeling his arms catch her and pull her to his chest as their lips collided, both touch starved and desperate for one another. He groaned into her mouth as she opened it, allowing his tongue to enter, searching for her own. His hands moved across her body hungrily, gripping at her curves and pulling at her clothes. She pushed his cloak off his shoulders and pulled his shirt over his head as he unzipped her porter suit, pushing it to the floor and working on her leggings underneath.

Soon, they were laid on the blanket on the floor, both stripped of every last piece of clothing, bodies intertwined. His body covered hers, and he buried his face in her neck, sending jolts of electricity through her body as he worked on the sensitive spot she'd always loved him to kiss and lick on her neck. She writhed beneath him, and her legs opened instinctively. He ran a hand from her breast, down her side, across her ass and up her thigh, looping her leg around his waist before looking into her eyes, waiting for her approval to go further. She looked into his icy blue eyes, her own burning with desire. "Do it now," she breathed, "And don't be gentle." He needed no further instruction, thrusting into her, up to the hilt in one swift movement, and as their bodies joined they both cried out, loud enough that anyone outside would have heard. But for them, the only two souls alive in the world in that moment, was each other. He thrusted into her, his pace hard and fast, their faces pressed together, breathing into each others mouths, ragged and animalistic. She grabbed his ass cheeks in her hands, legs tight around his waist to pull him closer, the room filled with the sound of them grunting, groaning, moaning, the slap of skin against skin. "I love you," he panted against her neck, "I love you so much." She moved her hands, one resting on his back, the other coming up to cup the back of his neck. "I love you too," she breathed back into his ear. He slowed his movements then, slowing to almost a stop, pulling back to look into her face. The way she looked at him made him want to cry, and he did. The tears fell, honest and true, dripping from the tip of his nose on to her face. "I'm so sorry," he whispered, "I'm sorry for what I did to us, to you. I fucked it all up." He'd stopped moving completely now, laying his head down to her chest, committing the sound of her heartbeat to memory. She stroked his hair gently. "Oh, Higgs," she whispered back, her own voice thick with emotion now as her own tears began to pour out, "It's going to be OK, I'm going to look after you, I'm going to help you." She moved as if to sit up, assuming they were done, but he moved then, pulling her back down, continuing his slow, steady rhythm, and she gripped his shoulders as she felt herself coming close to her release, feeling in the way his shoulders tensed that he was close too. When they both came together, she saw the look in his eyes, and what she saw as a confirmation of his love for her, he meant it as a goodbye. But he couldn't say it to her, not to her face. He rolled over to lay beside her and she turned her back to him, signalling for him to hold her. He wrapped his body around her, snaking his arm under her head, the other tracing lazy circles up and down her side. He kissed her face, her shoulder, her hair, memorising the way she felt against his lips, his free hand roaming over the rises and falls of her waist and hips, taking her in. Neither of them spoke again, slowly falling into deep sleeps, the safety of one another's presence lullaby enough. Just before she drifted off, she whispered his name, and he hummed in response. "Will you stay this time?" He leaned over her, whispering yes over and over as he kissed up her arm, and whispered it a final time into her mouth as he covered her lips with his own.

Higgs sobbed silently as he wrote the letter, hunched in the corner, listening to her gentle breaths, the steady rise and fall of her chest under the blanket he'd wrapped her in as the air turned cold in the bunker. He'd called her out here, he'd filled her head with false hope as they'd made love her in the bunker, but like the coward he was, he was leaving her again. The shame he felt, the self hatred, was crippling. He'd come so far, only to have faltered when he got to Edge Knot City. He'd followed Sam on the chiral network, figuring out this was where he would end up, and this would be where he'd have the show down, using Amelie to lure him there. And as he'd stood there, waiting for Sam to arrive, he could think only of Elle. The way he imagined her face had looked when he'd locked that door behind her. He couldn't have the world end with her last memory of him being him shutting her out. Selfish really, that he wanted her to go into oblivion with the memory of him fucking her, making her come, kissing her, laying beside her here. He was disgusted with himself. He just wanted it all over now, deep down refusing to believe that she could really move past what he'd done and love him again. He couldn't make himself believe the proof that was laid out right in front of him. If she thought he was a lost cause, she wouldn't have come here. But every time he pushed her back, she relentlessly beat down his walls and forced him to see her.

He couldn't just disappear, so he wrote her a letter, and hoped it would go some way to making sure she knew he loved her.

"Elle,

I don't know how to start this without feeling like my chest is splitting in two. My hand's shaking so hard I can barely hold the damn pen, but I owe you this, even if its the last thing I ever give you. Hell, I owe you more than this, I should wake you up, you're sleeping right in front of me. But I'm a fucking coward.

Last night - God, doll, last night - was the kind of night that makes a man believe he could stay, that maybe the world wasn't as rotten as it seems. You looked at me like I was still worth something, like I hadn't already got blood on my hands, and for that short time I let myself live inside that lie. I promised you I'd stay. I whispered it against your skin, swore it into your mouth. I wanted it to be true so bad, but I've gone too far down a road I can't turn back from, and if I told you that to your face, I don't think I could cope with the fallout. And its tearing me apart even now.

The truth is, I'm scared, Elle. I've been scared for so long I don't even remember what it feels like not to be. The world is dying, baby. You know it, I know it. Corpses turning into craters, cities crumbling, the very sky poisoned with timefall. We're all living on borrowed time, waiting for that axe to fall. I can't keep pretending that patching it all together will save us. Amelie... she showed me another way, a way to stop dragging out the suffering. If I end it now, if I tear it all down clean, maybe the next world that rises will have a chance. Maybe the pain will mean something. I tell myself that, over and over, but every time I look at you I wonder if I've just swallowed the wrong story whole. I wonder if I've traded you - us - for smoke and mirrors.

You've always seen the best in me, even when I couldn't, even when I didn't deserve it. The way you love, the way you care... Christ, Elle, you don't know how many nights that kept me from falling apart. When I thought I wasn't worth a damn, you'd smile at me like I'd hung the stars. If I could've chosen another life and freed myself from this path, I'd have chosen a life with you over and over. A bunker, a cat, hell, maybe even a kid or two. A quiet place to grow old with you, away from all this madness. But I can't think about that. I'm too deep in this, and I fear its too late to claw my way back out. I'm sorry, Elle. I'm so damn sorry.

When it all goes dark, when the tide pulls me under and the last of this world falls away, it'll be last night I see in my mind. The sound of your breath against my neck, the way your hands fit against my skin, the way you whispered that you loved me like I could still be saved. That's what I'll carry with me into the dark. If you think of me, I hope its like that too. Not the monster I've become, not the fool who broke your heart with his lies and cowardice, but the man who held you close and wanted so badly to be enough. Maybe in another life I could've been. Maybe somewhere else, we made it.

I love you Elle. I never stopped, and I never will.

Higgs."

Elle sat there in the bunker, wrapped in nothing but the blanket he must have covered her with, the silence pressing down on her like a weight she couldn't shake. The letter trembled in her hands, crumpling slightly where her fingers held on too hard. She didn't sob, not at first. She just sat there, rigid, staring at his handwriting - the big splotches that made the writing illegible in parts where a tear had landed on the ink. Her own eyes burned, and then the tears started to fall. Slow at first, then steady, tracing cold lines down her cheeks. She pressed her lips to the paper, desperate, as if she could kiss him through the words, and then she laid back down on the ground, her body convulsing with loud, violent sobs that drowned out the booms and explosions of a battle nearby in Edge Knot City.

After what felt like an age, Elle's cufflink buzzed on the ground next to her. The sharp sound tore through the heavy quiet, and she fumbled to answer it, her voice caught in her throat. Fragile's face filled the screen, taut and serious. "Elle? Where are you? Have you been crying?" she asked, concern in her voice mixed with exhaustion. "I was with Higgs last night," Elle whispered back, "But he left." Fragile could feel annoyance creeping up her throat. Not at Elle. She knew now why her sister had gone to him. But anger at Higgs putting false hopes that he couldn't commit to in Elle's heart yet again. "Listen," she said, carefully, "Can you get to Edge Knot in the next hour?" Elle nodded tearfully. "Yeah, I don't think I'm far out," she rasped. Fragile nodded, "I need you here. Sam and Higgs just fought, Higgs took Amelie back to the beach. I think this is it, the final showdown. Me and Sam are going to go after them, but I'll need you here to help us make the jump," she said, before pressing on, "And before you say anything, no you're not coming. I don't want you there, putting yourself in harms way. I'm not saying this as your sister, I'm saying this as your superior. You stay behind and wait for us to return." Elle didn't have the energy to argue, so she closed the line and dressed herself ready to make the jump to Edge Knot.

When she arrived just inside the perimeter of the city, she was taken aback by the carnage. First, she saw all the burst BTs on the ground, those awful ones that look like jellyfish that would hang ominously in the sky. They had all been shot down, spewing steaming tar across the ground. As she continued to walk, she saw countless chiral crystals scattered around from gazers that Sam had dispatched, and then when she walked up the street that led to the distribution centre, she was walking through knee deep tar, the chiral crystals huge, some bigger than her. This had been a Gigas. She could tell from the size of the tar smears on the walls of the dilapidated buildings where it had fallen and tried to keep its balance. She looked ahead at the distribution centre and saw Fragile and Sam. Sam was covered in tar and she could see a gunshot had damaged his BB unit. "Is Lou OK?" Elle called out. "She's fine," snap grunted back, "Could have been worse though." Fragile eyed her, "Are you OK?" she asked, quietly. "I'm fine," Elle replied, "And I'm coming with you to the beach." Fragile rolled her eyes, "I told you, no," she snapped, "I don't want you there, its dangerous and I don't want you to do anything stupid. You can wait here." Elle was about to protest, when Sam cut in, "Its best you stay," he said, "I need someone to keep hold of Lou, since I can't take her with me." She felt like they were treating her like a child. Sam unclipped the BB unit from his chest and handed it over to her, and she looked down at the baby. Bridge Babies had always creeped her out, and she'd resented their use by Bridges porters, but she couldn't deny that Lou was cute. She couldn't help a little smile when the baby gave her a thumbs up. She returned the gesture. "In here," Fragile said, motioning for Elle and Sam to follow her into the distribution centre. She led them to the private room where they stood in a circle. "Fragile, please let me come," Elle begged, voice barely a whisper. Fragile looked at her and shook her head again. "Just sit down, I can make this jump on my own, I'm not risking you following us through," she said, gesturing to the bed in the corner. "Listen to me," Elle said, her voice pleading and desperate now, looking between Fragile and Sam with the eyes of someone who was about to lose everything, "If there's a chance, any chance at all that you can bring him back, you have to. I know he'll have to be held accountable, I know he'll have to answer for his crimes, but I need you to bring him back to me, please." Fragile could feel her heart break as she and Sam exchanged a look. They both knew how this would end. Fragile had already told Sam that he would need to leave Higgs for her, so she could kill him in the end. "Of course," Fragile whispered back, mustering a small smile, "Of course, we'll try everything in our power to bring him back." Elle relaxed slightly, a gush of air leaving her lungs as she sat on the bed. "Just don't go anywhere, wait here for us and we'll come back to this spot," Fragile said, before turning to Sam.

Elle wasn't even hearing them talk, completely zoned out until she heard the sharp crack and smelled the tang of chiral energy in the air, and they were gone. She was left alone again, with nothing but the sound of Lou gurgling and chirping in the BB pod, waiting for them to bring her Higgs back to her.

Chapter Text

The battle had been bloody. Higgs had shot at Sam, who had come with no weapons that had survived the jump with him, resorting to throwing rocks and empty cargo pods at Higgs until they'd ended up in a fist fight in the tar in front of Amelie's body, suspended in a huge web. It had gone on for what felt like forever, the two men grunting, exhausted, throwing feeble punches in the end until Sam, ready to bring this to an end, swung a final blow that stunned Higgs, knocking him to his knees. Sam dragged him back to the sand throwing himself down beside him to catch his breath. "You gettin' a little touchy feely there Mr Aphenphosmphobia?" Higgs laughed, coughing up tar, "Well congratulations, you won the game. Too bad you didn't stop shit." Sam sat up and looked down at him. "What the fuck does that girl see in you?" he asked, shaking his head. Higgs looked back at him, his smart ass smile gone at the mention of Elle. But he knew he was done. He'd said his goodbyes to her in his own cowardly way, and had resigned to the fact that he would soon be dead. He was terrified, but wouldn't let Sam see. He just laid back in the sand and smirked. "Just get on with it," he sighed.

Footsteps approach them, and Sam stood up to see Fragile coming to stand by him. "He's all yours," Sam said, before turning to retrieve Amelie from her web. Fragile dropped her bag by Higgs' head, and he sat up, peering up into her face. "Fragile..." he whispered, eyes wide. "Guess I left a lasting impression," she sneered at him. He turned, watching as his web prison disintegrated and Amelie fell down into Sam's arms. Fragile knelt next to him, the hint of a smirk on her lips. "This time Higgs, you're the one that's going to break." He laughed, "Is that right?" he asked, "I think you'll find our bond is made of stronger stuff." He reached his hand out to Amelie, grasping at the air, watching as she unclipped his gold mask from her face. "Give me power, dammit," he hissed through gritted teeth. She looked back at him, giving him nothing. He looked at his hand, the realisation washing over him. Elle had been right all along, Amelie had just been using him until he no longer served a purpose. The regret was instant, as he thought about everything he'd done to Elle, leaving a world where he had a life, a woman that loved him, for absolutely nothing. Amelie had played him like a fiddle. "Aww, what's this," Fragile said, looking down at him with faux pity, "You're already broken!" He looked up at her, the anger, confusion, regret and panic beginning to set in. "The fuck?" he growled. "I'm Higgs. I'm the particle of God that permeates all existence. What are you?" Fragile smiled again. "You know, my sister hated it when you said that the last time," she said, "What was it she said? 'When did he get so full of himself?'" She shook her head at him and sat in the sand next to him. "Was it all worth it, Higgs?" she asked, "You had everything you ever claimed to want - a home, a woman who loved you, hell, even I was prepared to love you as my brother. And you threw it all away for her," she jerked her head towards Amelie, fading into the distance in Sam's arms, "For someone who tossed you aside when you weren't useful anymore. You know who never tossed you aside? My sister. Not once. We fought endlessly over you, she never stopped believing you could be saved."

Higgs' lips parted but no words came out. His throat felt raw, scraped hollow. Then, as the weight of it all pressed down on him, his mask slipped just enough for a single tear to roll down his cheek, cutting through the grime, tar and ash. His voice broke on one word, whispered like a confession. "...Elle." Fragile reached into her bag and pulled out a handgun, which she laid on the sand next to him. "Two choices," she said sternly, "Since I can't make the choice myself out of my love for my sister, even though I want nothing more than to put a bullet between your eyes. You end it yourself, or you rot here, alone. Exiled on the beach. Maybe the dead whales can keep you company, seeing as no one else will." She didn't wait to hear his decision, standing up to walk away. Higgs' eyes widened, the bravado completely gone. "Fragile," his voice came out as a pleading whimper. She stopped turning to look back at him. "Please, tell her I'm sorry," he whispered, "Please, just tell her I love her, tell her she was right all along, and that I'm sorry I never listened. Tell her please, I need her to know that I love her." Fragile looked him up and down and turned away, following behind Sam, ignoring Higgs screaming her name, begging her to come back and promise him she'd tell Elle.

When she finally caught up with Sam and Amelie, she handed Sam the gold mask Higgs wore. "I brought you a metaphor," she said, smirking, "Take it with you. Tell the lifers with porter syndrome what happens when you hide behind the mask." Sam turned the mask over in his hands, before handing it back to her. "Nah," he grunted, "You keep it, its better they hear it from the woman herself." She nodded, tucking the mask back in her bag, wrapping it in a piece of fabric so Elle wouldn't see it. "So where should I send you? Back east?" she asked, preparing for the jump. Amelie stepped forward then, placing herself between Sam and Fragile. "He doesn't need your help," Amelie said, her voice condescending, "He's got the chiral network, and he's got me. We can jump east together." Fragile looked at Amelie, so many things she wanted to say to her for the hurt she'd caused her sister. Because truthfully, Fragile knew that if Higgs and Amelie had never crossed paths, he and Elle would still be tucked away in their little bubble, in their bunker back in Port Knot City, safe and in love and just living their life together. But Amelie's influence over him had taken him away, she saw that now. And as much as she hated Higgs for the things he had done, she hated Amelie more for putting him on that path in the first place. Instead, Fragile just nodded. "Lucky him," she responded. Sam looked over Amelie's shoulder and smiled at Fragile. "We appreciate everything you've done for us, we really do," he said, earnestly, "but we're good for now. Besides, I'm sure Elle needs you, and Fragile Express."

"Yeah" she said, eyeing them both, "Who better to scoop up all the pieces and put them back together. Wouldn't want to settle for anything less than perfection." She picked up her bags and walked away, preparing to make the jump back to Edge Knot. "Fragile..." Sam said, stepping towards her, but she cut him off, not even turning back. "We're square, nothing left to say. I need to get back to my sister. So long, Sam," and she blinked out of sight.

***

The road was long, and the cargo heavy, but Elle and Higgs had found a quiet place to stop for a breather, in a small cave to shelter from the timefall. They sat side by side on a rock, legs stretched out, canteens in hand, her head resting on his shoulder, and his cheek pressed into her hair. For once, Higgs wasn't fidgeting with his cufflink, or scanning maps or talking about routes and schedules. He was looking at something in the distance, squinting at a sharp peak rising against the fading light. Its crown was veiled in drifting clouds, edges tinged in molten orange as the sun began its slow descent. "Y'see that?" he murmured, voice soft, almost boyish, "That mountain there. I bet from the top, you can see the whole damn world. None of this tar, none of this rot. Just sky as far as the eye can see, like the world was supposed to be." Elle followed his gaze, her lips curling into a smile. Her hand found his on the rock, and they intertwined. "I bet the sunrise looks real beautiful from up there," he said, almost wistfully. She looked at him, a look of awe in his eyes. "Then lets climb it one day. You and me," she said, "We'll watch the sunset together." He hummed in agreement, throwing an arm around her to pull her closer to his warm body. "Yeah, we'll do that. At least once in our lives, we'll see the sunset from the top of our mountain."

Elle sat alone now, in the private room at Edge Knot. The silence thick, only the odd faint sounds coming from Lou's pod breaking the tension here and there. She smiled, thinking of that day when they'd made their plans to climb that mountain. They'd still never got the chance to do it, but she knew they would one day. One day, when he'd come back and worked on himself, she'd take him up there so they could see the sun rise up through the clouds, like they'd always wanted to. She leaned back against the wall, letting the memory wash over her like a balm. Against every piece of evidence, every warning, every wound, she had clung to a single truth - he will stop, he'll come back, Fragile will bring him home, and maybe, just maybe, he'd be capable of repair. In her mind, she saw it. The two of them leaving this all behind to start their life together again, vanishing to some quiet corner of the world. Time enough to heal, to learn to laugh again, to simply be Elle and Higgs. And when the world allowed, when the ghosts and wars and the scars of his past actions no longer chased them, she'd take him back to their mountain. They'd climb, side by side, above the clouds, away from the world, and watch the sun melt into gold together.

Her chest loosened at the thought, a calm settling over her. She believed it with the unshakeable faith of a woman who had loved too deeply to unlearn it. Their mountain stood tall in her memory, waiting to welcome them home.

The door hissed open suddenly, and Fragile stepped through, body trembling, the adrenaline not yet worn off after the events of the beach, and also from the anticipation of what she was about to do to her sister. Elle shot up from the bed, eyes wide, expectant, hope blazing her expression as she searched Fragile's face for answers. "Well, where is he?" Elle asked looking over Fragile's shoulder and seeing the door hiss shut behind her. Fragile froze, her throat and eyes burning already. She saw Higgs' face in the dark of her mind - the way he had begged her to tell Elle he loved her, how his face had crumpled when she left him there. Her mouth moved before her heart could stop her. "I'm sorry Elle," she whispered, "He's gone, he didn't make it." The silence that followed was deafening. Elle blinked once, twice, three times, as if her ears had betrayed her. "No," she said, quietly, "No, that can't be right... You were going to bring him back? What happened?" Fragile took a deep breath, and began to spin her lie. "He and Sam, they fought. Higgs fought dirty, and Sam had to defend himself. They fought to the death, and Higgs lost. Sam tried, he tried to get him to stop but it was no use." Elle spluttered, a sound coming from her throat that was part cough, part gasping for air and part retching. "Did he mention me? Did he say anything about me?"

Fragile could hear his voice in her head, screaming for her to tell Elle he loved her, that he was sorry. "No," she said, fighting to keep her voice level, "He was too far gone. I'm so sorry, Elle." The cry that ripped out of Elle's throat shook the walls. She staggered back, clawing at her chest as if she could tear the pain out by hands before collapsing to her knees, her cries raw and animal, the sound of a heart breaking so loudly it made Fragile release a sob of her own. She turned and walked out of the room, pushing the door to close faster behind her. Once it was closed, she leaned against it, sliding down to the floorm listening with despair as Elle howled and wailed and beat the floor, screaming his name over and over again until her voice was nothing but air rasping up from her lungs. Fragile smacked a hand over her mouth, tears blurring her vision.

She'd had to lie. She needed Elle to have the closure, the finality, so she could finally grieve and move on. She thought she was protecting her. If she knew he was out there on some beach, she would go crazy trying to find him. "I did the right thing" she whispered to herself, "I had to." But the words rang hollow against Elle's wails.

***

He sat there, alone, watching the waves pull away from him then come surging back, over and over. He had ran his voice out, screaming her name over and over again, praying that if he screamed loud enough she'd hear him. But he never heard her. Only the waves, and the sound of his own sobs, his own dry heaving after he'd vomited out every last bit of the contents of his stomach. He could sense by the shift in the beach that Amelie had managed to halt the Last Stranding. Most likely, Sam had convinced her to contain it, and somewhere out there she was trapped on a beach of her own. But Amelie Strand didn't have someone waiting for her to come back. She'd always been loved by everyone who knew her. Higgs had been a nobody his entire life. He'd been beaten, abandoned, forgotten about. Then he'd found Elle. By some stroke of sheer, dumb luck he'd found her, and she'd saved him. She'd been his refuge. And he fucked it up chasing after someone who abandoned him. And now he was stuck here, for all eternity, alone in a prison of his own making. He wondered if she knew what had happened here. If she knew Fragile was going to leave him. He didn't want to think about it. Didn't want to get into the mindframe of believing she would curse him to this. But how could he blame her? After all he'd done, he wouldn't be surprised if she'd read that letter and told Fragile to leave him here to rot.

***

A few days later, back at Capital Knot City, Sam Porter Bridges watched as Die-Hardman was sworn in as the new president of the UCA. He said some words about Amelie, talked about porters and how instrumental they were to the success of the chiral network, but Sam wasn't interested. He wanted to be reunited with Lou, and he'd received a ping from Fragile that she was pulling into the compound now to drop Lou off for him. He walked out of the hall, and out to the courtyard, seeing Fragile standing there holding Lou. She looked tired, hollow eyed, and over her shoulder he saw a truck, Elle sitting in the passenger side. If he didn't know any better, he'd think she was dead. Her skin was grey, apart from her eyes - they were red raw. He turned back to Fragile, "You didn't kill him, did you?" he asked. She shook her head, telling him she gave him he choice to either end it himself or be exiled. "I couldn't bring him back though, so I told her he was dead," she whispered, clearly ashamed of what she'd done. Sam's jaw tightened as he clipped the BB pod back to his chest. "So you lied," he grunted, not making eye contact. Her voice cracked, "What else could I do?" she asked, "Tell her he's still out there on that damn beach, waiting? I couldn't she's broken enough." He looked at her now, his expression unreadable. "Look, I get why you did it," he said, "I really do. But you don't see it. She's not a kid, and she deserves to know the truth and make her own decisions. If you'd just told her the truth, she might've made her peace. Worked through it knowing it was his own decision. But now? You've buried her in a different kind of grief, one that doesn't heal, especially when there's no body for her to mourn. And, lets just say, I won't want to be there when she finds out the truth."

Fragile bristled, defensive. "She won't find out, Sam, so its not a question of when," she snapped. "These things always come to light eventually," he pressed, "Whether you like it or not, secrets rot away at people, and she will eventually figure it out, one way or another. Make sure you're prepared for when she does."

He left then, telling her he was going off grid for a while, but that if she ever needed anything, she was welcome to come find him. She watched him walk away until he was just a dot in the distance, then turned back to the truck, to take Elle back to Lake Knot City and try to nurse her through her grief. Little did she know, something was brewing on Higgs' beach that none of them could have bargained for.

Chapter Text

Elle stood at the shoreline of yet another endless beach, the air heavy with ash and the crash of waves that roiled in front of her, beckoning her to step in and be enveloped, lost forever to the tides. The horizon stretched on forever, silent, empty, not a trace of him anywhere. Her throat burned with every ragged breath, her body trembling from the strain of another jump. She scanned the sands, walking for miles, for days, until her knees gave out, falling hard onto the wet, impacted sand. All she needed was to find his body, to get the closure she needed, maybe bring something back that he had been carrying when he died. Anything to remember him by. But despite jumping to every beach she could access, she had found nothing. Every time she tried, she would see things in the distance. A body, sprawled on the sands that she would run toward, heart in her throat, thinking she'd finally found him, only to come across a rock, or a beached dolphin or a pile of seaweed that from a distance looked like it could have been a body.

The truth was, Higgs was out there somewhere, not laying dead. He was wandering the shores of the beach he'd been imprisoned in, feet bleeding from scuffing them over jagged rocks, voice completely lost from screaming for anyone to find him. But that beach was sealed off to Elle, she would never be able to access it, even if she knew it existed.

After Edge Knot City, Fragile had driven a despondent Elle to Capital Knot, to reunite Sam and Lou. She'd watched Fragile talking to Sam, wondering what they were saying, and judging by the tense look on Sam's face, she imagined they were talking about her, about how Sam had killed Higgs. When Fragile got back in the truck, she tried making conversation. "Sam's going off grid," she said, trying to act like everything is normal, "I think he's going to try taking Lou out of the pod." Elle heard what Fragile was saying, but she just didn't have the energy or the inclination to respond. The drive back to Lake Knot was excruciating for Fragile, the silence deafening. She kept trying to make conversation, even just to ask what Elle was thinking, but every time, her sister remained silent. If it weren't for the sound of her laboured breathing, Fragile would have assumed she had died in the seat beside her. It wasn't until they were almost back at the depot that Elle croaked, "What did you do with his body?" Fragile took a deep breath, unable to look at her. "We had to leave him behind, I couldn't make the jump with him, not with a dea... not with a body," she said, gripping the truck's steering stick.

After two weeks of lying in her bed in their bunker within Lake Knot, refusing to eat proper meals and living off of the odd cryptobiote and water, Elle suddenly seemed to snap into action. "Could you jump me to the beach?" she asked Fragile one morning. "What beach?" Fragile had asked, grateful that Elle was up and talking. "Where he... where you... where I would find Higgs," Elle responded, voice shaking slightly. "Elle..." Fragile breathed, shaking her head, "Elle, I was only able to find that beach because Sam had the connection with Amelie, I wouldn't be able to take you there. And even if I did, you wouldn't want to see him like that." Elle took a deep breath and nodded, almost as if she'd made a decision. Fragile watched her carefully, concerned about what she would say next. "Then I'd best start searching," she said, finally, and with a crack of chiral energy, she disappeared. Fragile jumped out of her seat, eyes wide, waiting for her to come back. After the longest five minutes, Elle cracked back into the room, panting, tears in her eyes. "What the fuck?" Fragile gasped. She moved around the table to grab Elle by the shoulders, checking her over. "If you can't take me to the beach he's on, I'm going to find him myself, if I have to search every beach in existence." And without another word, she disappeared again.

This went on for weeks, and Fragile had no idea how Elle was making so many jumps in such a short space of time - she was making somewhere in the region of six or seven jumps a day, each one taking a physical, mental and emotional toll on her that worsened each time. Fragile was losing count, and no matter what she did, she couldn't get Elle to stop. She'd started to not even bother to sleep properly, sometimes only taking an hours rest a day, and the effects were starting to show on her body after a month. One time, she came back to the depot, Fragile waiting, her face etched with fear as Elle barely managed to stand up straight. Fragile rushed across the room to grab her before she fell. Her skin was pale white, hands shaking and cold, eyes dull. "You're as pale as death," Fragile said quietly, eyes darting to the faint tremors running through her hands, "You've got the shakes, Elle. Jump shock syndrome. You keep this up, you'll kill yourself." Elle pushed her off, moving to a chair to steady herself. "I don't care," she snapped, voice hoarse, too sharp to hide the fear behind it, "I'm not stopping until I find him. He doesn't deserve to be left out their to rot with no one to remember him." Fragile knelt in front of her, cupping her cold hands in her own. "Elle," she whispered, reaching up to push a piece of her lank, greasy hair out of her face, unwashed for God knows how long, "He loved you, he knew you loved him. He wouldn't want you to be doing this to yourself. He'd want you to live." Elle looked down at her, dissatisfied with her words, before wincing as she made yet another jump.

The jumps became harder, taking her longer to disappear, longer to return, and the feeling of making the jumps went from a slight discomfort to active pain, as though her body was being pulled apart, fighting against the pull of chiral energy. Elle stood in the middle of a barren stretch of beach littered with what she first thought was driftwood, bleached white by the salt water, but when she looked closer, they were bones, some small, and some huge - whale jawbones and ribcages that towered above her. She hobbled along the beach for miles, barely able to take in her surroundings. She had lost considerable weight, and the cold wind blowing off the sea whipped tears into her eyes until she could barely see a foot in front of her. For all she knew, she could have already walked past Higgs and completely missed him.

When she blinked back to Lake Knot, Fragile felt all the hairs on her arms stand up as she lurched to grab Elle. Her eyes were red raw, and she was hemorrhaging blood from her eyes, ears, nose and mouth, the bloody tears that rolled from her eyes tinted gold with chiralium from the jump. "Elle!" Fragile shouted, pulling her sister into her lap as she sat on the floor, wiping the blood from her face, "Elle, please, you have to stop!" Her voice was thick with sobs as she looked down at her, cursing herself internally for her lie. All she kept thinking over was Sam's words, how he'd said she would have probably accepted the truth and been able to move on with time. Fragile felt completely to blame for this. Elle spluttered, spitting a mouthful of blood onto the floor. "I'm OK," she whispered, "But I told you, I can't stop. I need to find him, I need to lay him to rest." Fragile's heart broke, but she swallowed her retort. "I know, I know," she whispered back, stroking Elle's hair gently. "Lets get you cleaned up, get you some rest, and then when you're feeling better, I'll join you, and we'll look for him together." The look on Elle's face was what made her heart fully crack in two. She looked so hopeful, so happy that Fragile was willing to help. "OK," she said, "OK, I'll rest. I need my strength to find him." She allowed Fragile to help her to her bed, and as soon as her head hit the pillow, she was asleep. Fragile watched her for a moment, and once she was satisfied that she was sleeping deeply, she stepped out of the room, pulling up a contact on her cufflink. When the call picked up on the other side, she took a deep breath. "Deadman," she said, "I need your help."

***

Deadman and a team of Bridges medical employees arrived within a day, and just in time, as Fragile didn't know how much longer she could stall Elle. She'd tried to convince Fragile she was rested, and so she had to keep coming up with new ways to get her to promise to rest a little longer. She was sleeping when Deadman stepped into the room, and he took one look at her and sighed. "I've never seen such advanced jump shock," he said, sadly, turning Elle's cold, thin hand over in his own warm palms, "How many jumps did she take?" Fragile felt a tear running down her cheek. "I don't know," she whispered, "At least a hundred. In a month. Probably more." Deadman winced and shook his head. "Can you help her?" Fragile asked, not daring to look at him in case she saw it in his eyes that he saw no hope. "Do you remember, not too long ago, you yourself were suffering with jump shock, after all the jumps you were making to help Sam?" Deadman asked, and she nodded in response, "Well, intense rest is what helped you, but your condition was nowhere near as bad as Elle's. I'd propose transporting her back to the isolation centre at Capital Knot, where we can monitor her, and keeping her rested there, until her body and mind have had time to heal." Fragile paced the room, knowing that it wouldn't work. "She'll just keep jumping, there's no way of stopping her," she said, feeling the despair settle in. "Well, that's true," Deadman said, "But she can't make the jump if she isn't conscious." Fragile stopped pacing and looked at him, brows knitting together in a frown. "What are you suggesting?" she asked. Deadman sighed and looked back at Elle. "Its not something I would normally suggest, but in such a critical case... I'm suggesting we put her in a medically induced coma for a while - it will give her chance to rest fully, and her body can heal, her mind can heal, we can monitor her and administer any medication she needs, keep her fed and hydrated... But most importantly, she won't be able to jump."

Fragile felt sick, her stomach churning as she looked down at Elle, sleeping peacefully, blissfully unaware of the discussion concerning her consciousness. She chewed at a hangnail on her thumb, feeling like she shouldn't be making this decision alone, but who else could she consult with. She felt like Sam would have been the perfect one to speak to, but when he'd said he was going off the grid, he'd meant it. She'd tried a few times to reach out to him in the month since he had departed, with no avail. She knew what she needed to do, she had to say yes. But she just wanted someone else to make the decision for her. "Fragile," Deadman said, softly, interrupting her thoughts, "I'll need an answer, we'll need to move her soon, before she becomes too alert to fight us. I know it sounds terrible, but if she finds out what we're going to do, she could jump and never return." So this was it, another betrayal, stealing away her sisters consciousness without her consent or knowledge. She slapped a hand over her mouth, and closed her eyes, giving a single, curt nod to Deadman. He called the medical team into the room, and they entered, four of them, carrying different cases all filled with different vials of medicine. Fragile stepped into the corner, trying to keep out of the way, her breathing ragged and feeling as though she was going to vomit. "Come and talk to her, Fragile, let your voice send her to sleep," Deadman said, beckoning her over. She gulped, pushing down the sob that was fighting to escape her throat. She knelt by Elle's head, ignoring the IV that was now lodged in her wrist, the heart rate monitor strapped around her chest, and gently stroked her sister's face. Elle's eyes flickered open slightly. "Fragile?" she whispered, "Are we going to find him now?" Fragile nodded, blinking back her tears and smiling. "We're going to find him," she whispered, "But first, I need you to rest a little longer, OK? We're going to get you good and strong, get you back to your old self." She felt Deadman's hand gently tap her shoulder, signaling that they were about to administer the medication that would send Elle into her comatose state. "No," Elle whispered, her voice beginning to slur, "No, Fragile please... Higgs.." Her eyes rolled back and her lid closed, and her body slumped slightly. "It's done," Deadman whispered, gently, hand resting on Fragile's shoulder now.

She felt like Elle was dead. She stepped away from the bed as the medical team brought in a stretcher, watching wordlessly as they lifted her body gently onto the bed and followed them outside as they loaded her into the Bridges truck they had brought. Once she was secure, Deadman turned to Fragile. "Please know, you have done the right thing," he said, "We will take good care of her, and you can visit anytime you like. You're welcome to come to Capital Knot, I know the team would love to have you there, and I'm sure we can make some arrangements for Fragile Express to operate from there so you can be close to her." Fragile couldn't answer him, just nodded silently. He bowed his head, understanding how painful this was for her, and turned without another word. Fragile stood there, watching as the truck drove off, watching it until it was a speck in the distance. She blinked and lost it her sight of it, and that was when she broke down.

***

The fluorescent lights of the Capital Knot medical ward buzzed faintly as Deadman finished his final checks, his round face uncharacteristically solemn. Fragile looked down at Elle, in disbelief at how different she looked. She was ashamed at herself that in the two months Elle had been in the coma, she had only visited once. She couldn't bear to look at her, and despite Deadman telling her to talk to her, that it might help her with her own processing of the situation, she just couldn't bring herself to see her like this. When they had first taken Elle, she had been skin and bone, skin dry and dehydrated, eyes hollow, the shine gone from her hair and her fingernails brittle. Now, she had filled out again, her dark hair had its usual shine, and the hollows in her face were rounded again."Her vitals are steady," Deadman said, checking the different machines surrounding her, preparing to inject the serum that would bring her back around into the IV in her arm, "Physically she's healed, but whether her Ka is healed, thats a different story, harder to measure. Just... take it slow." Fragile nodded, folding her arms tight around herself as she watched him administer the serum. He smiled sadly at her before making his exit and leaving her to welcome Elle back to the world of the living.

The machines hummed softly around her, and Fragile gasped as she saw Elle's eye lashes flickering. When she opened her eyes, she pasted a smile onto her face before leaning forward, a gentle hand on her forearm. "Hey," she whispered, "You're back." Elle didn't answer, she just stared up at the ceiling, her gaze hollow, fixed on nothing. The silence stretched until Fragile's stomach knotted. Finally, Elle's voice broke through, raw and quiet. "How long did you abandon me here?" she asked. Fragile faltered, sitting down into the chair beside the bed. "Two months. Just two," she whispered in response. Elle turned to look at her now. "Just two months? Is that all?" she echoed, her tone almost mocking, "Fragile, in those 'just two' months, I was on the beach for hundreds of years. Wandering around, every second stretching into eternity." Fragile's heart clenched, and she opened her mouth to say something, but words failed her.

"I heard him," Elle continued, voice barely a whisper now, "I could hear Higgs calling my name. Over and over like... like he was right there, on the other side of the horizon. I know its not possible, because he's dead, but it felt so real. Cruel trick of the beach I guess." Fragile felt like a dagger was twisting in her heart. So, what? Higgs could sense Elle was on a beach? He was calling to her and she could hear him? A cruel thing indeed. She finally found her words, trying to comfort her sister. "The beach... it plays tricks on your mind. Makes you hear things. Makes you think the dead are closer than they are," she said, quietly. "I just don't feel like my connection to him is broken, its like he's still tethered to me somehow," Elle said, looking back at Fragile now, her eyes brimming with tears, her fingers outstretched, looking to connect with someone. Fragile jumped up and took Elle's hand in her own. "Then maybe that's what true love feels like, Elle," she whispered, pressing her forehead against her sister's, "When its real, the connection is never lost, not even in death." Elle gently pushed Fragile aside, sitting up slowly. "I want to go home," she whispered.

The air outside the Capital Knot ward was damp with Timefall when Fragile walked Elle out a few days later, once Deadman was satisfied she could leave. A Fragile Express truck was waiting in the nearby timefall shelter, and Fragile guided Elle to it, walking slowly, holding her sister's body close to her. Once she was in the passenger seat and strapped in, Fragile brushed her hair out of her face. "I've got a new room for you all prepared back at Lake Knot," she began, trying to keep her voice normal, tone light, "And you can do whatever you like - logistics, inventory... you can even go back to portering if you'd like?" Elle didn't answer at first. She just tilted her head, watching the shimmer of the timefall, spotting the telltale rainbow in the distance signifying the presence of BTs somewhere out there. "I can't go back as me," she finally responded, "Not as Eleanor Veil. Too many people know me now as his partner, they'll never trust me." Fragile wanted to argue that she shouldn't be ashamed of who she is, but she could see it on Elle's face that she wasn't about to change her mind on this. "Then don't go back as you," she whispered, "Loads of people have an alias, you can pick one to present as when you're working, and be you when its just us."

For a long time, Elle said nothing. Then her lips parter, the faintest flicker of resolve in her voice. "Glassveil," she whispered, "I'll be just behind the glass, and I won't shatter easily." Fragile nodded, feeling a sense of relief that Elle seemed determined to live now. "Nice to meet you, Glassveil," she smiled, "I'm looking forward to introducing you to Fragile Express." Elle nodded and smiled a small, hopeful smile. "Lets get out of here," she said.

***

With time, Glassveil became a legend around the UCA. Small preppers and big distribution centres alike started requesting their deliveries be made by her specifically. She was fast, even when faced with adverse weather and BT areas, and she was holding her own with MULEs and raiders too, becoming adept at combat. Elle had always been a good porter, one of the best, and now as Glassveil, she pulled back her five star rating in no time. Nobody ever asked who she really was, thought the talk on the chiral network was that she was a myth or a legend, that anyone who claimed to have received a delivery from her was a liar, no one lucky enough to have THE Glassveil on their doorstep. Elle wasn't interested in the talk, she just wanted to do her job and go home at the end of the day.

Her most recent job under the Glassveil alias was simple. Carry a batch of emergency rations up through the mountains, a relay point for a stranded waystation cut off by timefall. The request had actually come in from Bridges HQ, who had been commissioning Fragile Express for certain deliveries here and there, and the rations were being delivered after much request from porters travelling through the area who felt rations being available in such a remote location would be useful. Elle had had a whole new porter suit created - sage green camo, with a hood that she always kept drawn up around her face, a glass visor hiding her true identity. She'd pulled her tri-cruiser up to the waystation, depositing the rations in the shared locker, waiting for the interface on her new ring terminal to flash up that the delivery was registered before turning to start the drive back home. But as she turned, something caught her eye. She was at the foot of a beautiful mountain, who's peak breached the cloud canopy above, as if wearing the clouds as a huge, fluffy crown. It dawned on her then, that this was the mountain Higgs had pointed out to her.

She took a deep, steadying breath, knowing the decision she would make next. She checked the time on the ring terminal - she'd travelled through the night to make this delivery, and it was now the early morning, almost time for the sun to rise. "Might as well, now I'm here." Each step up the steep incline burned her legs, the straps of her pack digging deep into her shoulders. Yet the ache felt good. Honest. Physical pain was always easier than the other kind. Halfway up, she found herself speaking aloud. At first, just little things - the odd grunt, a curse here and there at the rocky path - but slowly the words became a one-sided conversation. "You did say this climb would be a bastard," she muttered, planting her boot into the rock, "Said the sunrise would make it worth it." Her voice wavered, but she kept going. "You never got to see it, Higgs. So I'll see it for you."

By the time she broke through the cloudline, her chest was raw with the thin air. She dragged herself up onto the plateau, a little ledge just big enough for two, and collapsed on to it, staring out at the horizon. The sun was cresting, light spilling over the sea of clouds, painting the world in molten gold. Elle pressed the button on the side of her hood, the gentle hiss of the visor pulling back so she didn't have to watch this through the mirrored glass. Her eyes brimmed with tears as she felt the heat and light of the sun kiss her face. "You were right," she whispered, "It really is beautiful." She pulled off her pack and opened one of the inner pockets, pulling out the letter Higgs had written her when he'd left her at Edge Knot, and the picture of them holding their keys outside their bunker in Port Knot. She kissed both, before folding the letter around the picture, hands trembling as she dug a small, shallow hole into the dirt beside her and buried them, tucking them into the dirt as though she was tucking a child into bed. Once she'd covered them back up, she began building a small cairn over the little mound of soil. She pulled out her utility knife, scrapping 'Higgs' into the stone she placed on the top of the little structure. "I'm sorry, Higgs," she said to the pile of stones, "I'm sorry we didn't get the life we wanted. I'm sorry I couldn't find you. But wherever you are, I hope you know I'm here. I hope you know this is your place, so you can see the sunrise everyday. I... I love you, and I'll never forget you." The weight of her grief was still crushing, but sitting there, releasing him, she felt for the first time that maybe she could live with her grief, and not just survive it.

The sharp buzz of her ring terminal snapped her out of her thoughts, and she lifted her hand, shaping it into a thumbs up to bring up the interface - Fragile was calling. "Hey sis," she called down the line, and Elle could see she was on her mono-bike. "How many times have I asked you not to call me whilst you're driving that thing?" Elle said, shaking her head in disappointment. "Sorry, mom!" Fragile laughed, "Listen, you know I managed to get in touch with Sam? Well I've been asked to visit him, get him to put Mexico on the network. I'm sure he'll say yes, and I'll get to spend some time with Lou - did you see the pictures I sent you of her? He managed to get her safely out of the pod all those months back and she's like... a person now, all chubby cheeks and thigh rolls." Elle smiled. She had seen the pictures, and she had to agree, Lou was cute as a button. "Keep Fragile Express afloat for me, I shouldn't be gone for long, but call me if you need anything, OK?" she nodded and started to stand, ready for her descent. "Give Sam my love," Elle said, "And Fragile? I love you, sis." Fragile smiled then, loving the feeling of having her sister back. "I love you too, Glassveil," she smirked, and Elle simply rolled her eyes and cut off the call, giving one last look to the memorial she built before taking her first steps back down the mountain. "Goodbye, Higgs. I love you," she called as her head dipped below the clouds.

Chapter Text

Back at Lake Knot, the depot was buzzing louder than usual, its delivery bays humming with the steady churn of cargo pods rolling in and out. Elle was perched in the control room overlooking the depot floor, the faint glow of her ring terminal illuminating her features. She'd just pulled up a Social Strand feed tagged with her alias, curiosity gnawing at her. She never usually liked to read about the gossip that spread about her, but today, with all her work done, she decided to indulge herself. The headline blinked across the display: "The Shining Phantom of the Chiral Age: Who Really Is Glassveil?" She laughed out loud and scrolled further down. An enthusiastic prepper, known only as The Cosplayer, had written it. Elle knew her well, had recently delivered materials to her for her next costume. She had written an entire post, painting Elle as though she was some kind of comic book hero.

"Out here, in the lonely wastes, there's one name whispered on the lips of porters, preppers and dreamers alike. A name that carries the shimmer of mystery, the promise of safety, and the thrill of danger.

That name is Glassveil.

You've seen her. Or maybe you've only heard the rumours - fleeting shadows across the mountains, a silver visor gleaming in the timefall, a hooded figure moving like liquid light between the Knots of civilsation. To some, she's a porter. To others, she's a mercenary. But to me? She's the guardian angel of the Chiral Age.

Glassveil is no ordinary porter. Reports (and trust me, I've been keeping track) place her everywhere at once: hauling medical supplies to preppers on the brink of collapse, diving head first into BT areas to rescue stranded porters, even standing up against MULEs with nothing but her bare fists and a cargo strap.

One old merchant swore to me that he saw her take down two raiders at once with a single kick, her mirrored visor glinting with the brilliance of justice. Another prepper whispered that she dived to the bottom of a tar pit to rescue their daughter's favourite stuffed animal - a true woman of the people.

Hyperbole? Maybe. But then again, have you ever met someone like her?

No one knows who hides beneath that mirrored mask. Some say she's a former porter who lost her family in the Middle Knot explosion. Some say she's a Bridges experiment gone rogue. A few even say she's a fragment of Bridget Strand herself, sent back to protect us.

I don't know about all that. What I do know is that when Glassveil arrives at a prepper's shelter, they don't forget it. They talk about the weight of her presence, the calm she brings, the quiet nod of her hood before she turns and vanishes as quickly as she appeared. She doesn't linger, she doesn't boast. She simply gets the job done, and isn't that what true heroes do?

Mark my word, fellow citizens: Glassveil isn't just another name on the UCA's delivery roster. She's the spark that keeps the lonely fires burning in every shelter. The one that reminds us that even in a broken world there are people out there still worth believing in.

So if you're out there, Glassveil, and somehow you're reading this - know that the world sees you. We see the way you rise, the way you fight, the way you shine through the darkness like a beacon. And maybe one day, when all the strands are tied and the world is whole again, we'll know the face behind the visor.

Until then, keep running, phantom of the wastes. We'll be watching the horizon for the glimmer of your glass veil."

She was impressed, to say the least, even if it was a bit corny. She flicked open the comments:

NorthRimPorter: I don't buy it. Glassveil is just a story. No one moves that fast through the timefall without an exoskeleton and a prayer.

MuleHunter_42: @NorthRimPorter she's real. I swear I saw her out near the wind farm. Brought me back my cargo from a group of raiders. Didn't say a word, just dropped it on my doorstep and left.

GhostinTheWires: Y'all are so gullible. "Mirrored visor?" "Phantom in the rain?" Sounds like a PR stunt from Bridges to be honest, now they're restructuring.

BT_Skeptic: @GhostinTheWires Except preppers have been talking about her for months. Bridges couldn't keep a secret if they tried.

RiverFerryDad: We don't even know if its a woman under there. Hood up all the time, voice changer maybe? Could be anyone. Hell, could be Sam Porter Bridges himself in disguise.

Ludens_Lass: @RiverFerryDad Please. Sam doesn't have time to play dress up now he's on the run. And besides, Glassveil is WAY more stylish.

CraterSurvivor69: I heard she can sense BTs before they appear, doesn't even need a bridge baby or an odradek cos she's like, way high level DOOMs. Friend of mine swear she saw Glassveil point at empty air seconds before a gazer popped up. That's not human, that's... something else.

SouthKnotCook: Okay but like... who cares if she's real or not???? She gives people hope. Is that not enough?

President_Die_Easyman: Hope doesn't carry cargo though. Facts do.

FRAGILEfan92: OMG she just liked this article!

Elle could have read the comments for hours. The Social Strand page scrolled under her fingertips, the comments stacked with arguments, theories and outright nonsense. She snorted reading through some of the theories - the first one was particularly funny - she did use a skeleton, but she also could jump. And she definitely did sometimes let people think she'd walked for miles, just when she needed the validation. A grin tugged at her lips when she'd read the one about her possibly being Sam in disguise, wondering if she could get that stoic face to crack a smile with that comment. She couldn't help feeling a little bothered by the question of who was under the visor though. The whole point of wearing it was so they wouldn't judge her, but even faceless she was reduced to a question mark. And the last comment was true, she had tapped the thumbs up button, and smiled as a little "1 like received from Glassveil' popped up on the screen. Despite the exaggerations, it felt... good. For the first time in a long time she felt proud of herself, she felt like she was doing something good.

She was just about to close the ring terminal when all of a sudden she heard it - a low, rumbling chuckle, deep and familiar. She froze, the sound reverberating around the room vibrating in her chest as if someone had just laughed over her shoulder. She turned in her chair and saw a puddle of tar on the ground behind her and frowned. For one long, shivering second, she swore someone had been in the room with her, watching her, reading the article over her shoulder. She stood up, looking over the top of the control panel to the depot floor below, the hum of machinery loud, and noticed black footprints coming off the shoes of the Lake Knot staff, and sighed. It wasn't a laugh she'd heard, just machinery. and the tar puddle must have been tar she had trodden in off her own boots. She'd been so engrossed in reading about herself that she'd completely forgotten. But she still felt uneasy.

In the days that followed, Elle threw herself into her work. She ran deliveries, kept on top of the manifests, checked and double checked inventory. Other porters began nodding to her on the road, some even hailing her name over the comms with respect. At night, when she shed her suit and sat in her bunk, she thought of the mountain. The memorial she'd built for Higgs days ago stood stark in her mind, stones piled high, the picture and the letter nestled in the ground underneath. She'd whispered his name there, whispered her grief into the sky. Since then, the heaviness had lifted, and the days felt fractionally brighter. She hadn't forgotten him, but now, when she thought of him, she didn't feel like a hole had been punched through her chest. Instead, she felt all the love she had for him, she thought about his smile, about the way he said her name, about those early deliveries they'd gone out on together, the nights where they holed up in caves and sat up the entire night just talking about everything and nothing. Her memories of him were what kept him alive for her.

Fragile had noticed too. Before leaving to see Sam, she'd spoken of moving away from Fragile Express, instead starting a new, smaller company to visit new regions, said she'd been speaking to an anonymous source about commissioning a new base of operations, with a whole new team. "Reclaiming our legacy, together" she'd put it. Elle had nodded along, half believing in that vision, half grateful that her sister believed in her.

It was on the fourth night of Fragile's absence that Elle decided to call her. The depot felt hollow without her sister's sharp presence, and something gnawed at her gut. A worry that wouldn't be quieted. She opened her ring terminal and connected the line to Fragile's, drumming her fingers impatiently on her knee. The line clicked open, but it wasn't Fragile's voice. "Elle?!" came Sam's voice, breathing ragged. "Sam?" she replied, confused, "What's going on, where's Fragile?" He took a few more breaths, and she could hear in the sound of his breathing that something was wrong. "Sam, answer me, where is my sister?" she demanded, voice clipped and tense. There was static in the comms and the sound of an alarm in the background. "Someone hit my bunker while I was connecting Mexico," Sam finally responded, "Fragile's hurt... and Lou... Lou... she's fucking dead." Elle's whole body went rigid. "Sam..." she whispered, the shock taking her voice away, "How can you be sure?" He took a deep breath before continuing. "I was on my way back and my cufflink said there was an intrusion at the shelter, and by the time I got back the place was trashed and Fragile was laid in the sand, she'd been shot," Elle took a sharp breath in at this, "She said a group of, I don't know, some raiders turned up, they chased her down, and they, they got Lou."

Elle's vision tunneled, her own breath becoming shallow. "Sam," she whispered, fighting to keep her voice steady, "Sam, is Fragile alive?" There was a pause. "Yeah, she's alive. Just get here, I need someone else to be here. Get here as fast as you can." And then the line cut.

Elle didn't even stop to think. She jumped up, pulled on her suit and visor, and made the jump, her mind filled with images of Fragile, bleeding alone in the sand. Of Lou, that sweet, tiny baby, dead. Of Sam, having to come home to that, to see and hear what had happened to his child, to his friend. And underneath it all, a faint sense of dread. Maybe it wasn't just the machinery and a bit of excess tar on the floor of the control room that day. Maybe it was someone watching her. Someone hunting them. But why hadn't they tried to kill her when they'd had the chance?

Elle's boots struck the sand in frantic rhythm. She'd never actually been to Sam's bunker, only seen where Fragile had pointed it out on the map, so she'd jumped as close as she could, trying to remember the message he'd sent to Fragile for how to find it. "Built into the cliff, look out for the gazers and you'll find it" she said to herself, remembering how he'd mentioned the BT holographic he'd thrown over the entrance to deter raider. Fat lot of good that did. Every cliff face looked the same, and with darkness gathering, she flicked on the torch attached to her suit, trying to see through the night, cursing under her breath.

Finally, she saw it, a half buried shelter, the faint glow of a terminal pulsing just inside the entrance like a heartbeat in the gloom. Her stomach dropped at the sight just short of it: Fragile's monobike, destroyed, crumpled like a tin, one wheel bent inward, glass glittering across the sand. A long, black skid mark scored the ground where it had lost control, curving violently before ending in a sprawl of metal. Elle slowed, eyes catching on the sand. Specks of blood. Small, dark stains scattered like fallen petals. Her chest seized. "Fragile..." She broke into a run towards the looming shelter, slamming her palm against the terminal. "I'm here," she shouted, rushing down the stairs at the back, "Sam, its Elle, let me in!" There was a heavy clang, the hiss of decompression, and the door groaned open. Sam looked at her, with her suit and visor. "Oh shit, sorry," she said, tapping the switch on her shoulder, making the visor retract into the hood. Sam's eyes, always haunted, were now fractured, hollowed deeper than she had ever seen. He barely moved aside, gesturing numbly for her to enter.

She gasped when she saw the interior. Rubbish strewn across the floor, drawers pulled out of cabinets and upended, walls scarred with scuff marks. Lou's overturned highchair lay on its side, toppled like a symbol of absence. Tiny handprints smudged up the door frame, showing how much the little baby had grown, eerie in their innocence. Sam didn't speak, he just gestured a trembling hand towards Fragile, sat propped up on the bed, her arm crudely bandaged, blood still seeping through. She had a few cuts and bruises on her face, and the leg of her cargo pants was torn, showing her ragged leg underneath where she had skidded off her bike, looking like she still had half the desert embedded in her skin. "Oh my god, Fragile," she cried, rushing to her sisters side, "What happened?"

Fragile winced when Elle threw her arms around her, and took a deep breath before explaining. "The alarms started going off, and I was about to go up to the entrance when I heard them break in. They were on their way down here and I... I had nothing to defend us with. Took the delivery lift up to the surface and managed to get round them, get to my bike, but they shot out the bike and we fell," she took another steadying breath, "I tried to jump me and Lou out of there, but I couldn't take her with me. I tried to get back, and she was still there, and I could see one of the raiders getting closer - dressed in this huge red cloak, face covered. I had to jump us both seperately, but before I could jump her out, he shot the gun twice. I followed her, but when I got to the beach she wasn't there, and when I came back she wasn't here either. I think the bullet caught her and she never made it to the beach." She had to stop, the tears and guilt too much for her.

The bunker fell into silence, the weight of what had happened here was suffocating. "I thought I saved her," Fragile whispered, "I thought I'd got her out, but I failed her." Sam sat down in a chair, head buried in his hands. Elle looked at him, seeing how broken he was. How could he move on from this? No parent should outlive their child.

She knew it wasn't the time to start speculating, but she had to mention the presence she'd felt. "I think someone is hunting us," Elle whispered, after a beat of deafening silence, "There was someone in the control room with me the other day, I could feel them watching me, heard them laugh. They're using the beach to get around because there was tar on the ground behind me. I thought maybe it was my mind playing tricks on me, but isn't it a bit of a coincidence that in the space of a few days I've been spied on, and then someone struck here as soon as Fragile was on her own?" Sam didn't move, but Fragile shook her head, "We need to find out who did this, we need-" Sam stood up then, turning to walk to the door frame, running his hand over Lou's handprints. "I need you both to leave," he said quietly, "I want to be on my own."

"Sam," Elle said, sympathetically, "You shouldn't be on your own right now." He turned, and she saw he was barely holding it together. "Just go," he said, "I need to mourn my kid."

***

It had been almost a month since they'd left Sam, and every time Fragile and Elle tried to contact him, the line hummed on and on but with no answer. Elle even travelled back to his shelter once or twice, but he never answered the door and she couldn't hear any movement inside. She sat outside, waiting and waiting, hoping he would come out, but he never did. Fragile tried too, but neither of them could reach him.

Eventually, Fragile brought up the plans to move away from Fragile Express again, told Elle that the anonymous source, some wealthy benefactor called Charlie, had been in touch with her again over the comms. Fragile relayed to Elle what she and Sam had learned, when she'd gone to visit him in regards to getting Mexico connected. Deadman had patched through to them, told them of a 'plate gate' that had opened, offering passage to Australia, where more survivors of the Death Stranding were waiting, ready to be connected to the network. The plan was that connecting more regions meant a better chance at stopping the Last Stranding. "They've commissioned us a ship, it travels via the tar belts, and can get us moving around, be a base of operations. The DHV Magellan, its called," Fragile said, showing Elle images of the ship on her ring terminal. "What does the DHV stand for?" Elle asked, reaching over to zoom in on the ship. "It means 'Deep-tar Hunting Vessel," Fragile said, "Its captained by Tarman, who will be part of the team. But we're gonna gather up some old friends. You remember Rainy? The woman we found, with the still baby syndrome? And we're going to pick up Heartman too. Oh, and Dollman, you remember Dollman?" Elle remembered them all. Rainy had become a close friend, with an incredible ability to reverse timefall damage. And Dollman had been a medium before the stranding. He and his daughter had been killed when trying to converse with his wife, now a BT, and his soul had become trapped in his daughter's doll. Another tragic story left on the world. Fragile had found him nestled between his own body and his daughter's, rescuing him from being left there to rot away, always conscious and aware of that terrible loss.

***

"I want to go and pick up Sam," Fragile said, a few weeks later as the two of them boarded the ship. "Do you think he'll come?" Elle asked, stepping into the Magellan's cock pit, nodding at Tarman in greeting. "He has to come, I won't take no for an answer," Fragile said, sorrowful, "I need to get him out of that bunker, help him find purpose again." Elle nodded in agreement. Finding purpose had been what had helped her move forward with her own grief, and she hoped it was something that would help Sam too. "OK," she said, nodding, "Let's swing by Sam's place, and then on to Australia I guess!" Tarman turned in his seat to look at them both. "Ladies," he said, nodding his head at them both, "If you'll take your seats and get strapped in, we'll get this show on the road." Fragile took her seat at the back of the room, and Elle settled into the seat in front of the logistical control panel, pulling the cross belts around her and fastening herself in, turning to give a thumbs up to Tarman. "Rightio," he said, "Off we go." He pulled a few levers, pressed a few buttons, and the ship began to judder as it lowered down into the tar. Elle watched as the world outside gave way to the black, bubbling liquid, the shutters beginning to close off, and the lights in the cockpit flicked on. She never thought she'd leave the confines of the UCA, and she couldn't deny she was equal parts nervous and excited.

She had no idea the things she would see, and more importantly, the revelations that would come to light during this voyage.

Chapter Text

When they arrived at Sam's shelter, Elle and Fragile stood at the inner door, calling for Sam to let them in. At first, they were met with silence, and this went on for several minutes. The two women exchanged concerned looks. "Are you sure he's in there?" Elle asked. Fragile nodded. "I pinged his ring terminal, it said he was here." Elle shook her head and snorted. "You are aware you can take the ring off right? What if he took it off and left it here and just disappeared?" They waited a little longer, until Elle finally shook her head. "Fuck this, I'm jumping in," and before Fragile could stop her, she crackled out of sight. When she blinked inside the shelter, she gasped. The lights were all off, the smell of stale sweat, blood, alcohol and rotten food filled her nostrils. And there, at the table, Sam sat, a gun on the table in front of him. Cradled in his arms, Lou's old BB pod - empty, but he was looking at it as though she was still in there. She was speechless, not knowing how to break the silence. Fragile suddenly appeared beside her and had the same sharp intake of breath when she saw the room. "Sam," Fragile said, quietly, stepping in front of him, "I know there's nothing I can do to make this right. I know." He looked up at her, then at Elle, before reaching down to shake the beer cans on the floor, throwing them angrily when they were empty. He stormed to the fridge, but when he found it empty, he turned to a nearby drawer, pulling out a gun. Elle sighed, and turned away, feeling like she shouldn't be spectating his pain this way. "Sam," Fragile said, her voice becoming sterner, "Stop hurting yourself. Please." He held the gun to his head, pulling the trigger over and over, put the barrel was empty. That was when Elle realised, all this time he'd been killing himself over and over, and as a repatriate, he just kept coming back. She couldn't imagine what he must have gone through, out here, all alone. She felt a tear roll down her cheek. "Give me the gun," Fragile demanded, holding her hand out to him, and snatching it away when he complied, "There is nothing left for you here. Nothing but sadness and regret. You can't go on like this." He went to pick up the BB pod, but Fragile picked it up before he could get it. "Come and take a walk with me," she said, turning to lead him outside.

Elle stayed back, clearing up the mess, standing Lou's high chair up, that was still laying on its side from the attack. She cleaned scuff marks off the walls and even the splatters of blood she found on various surface from where Sam had... she couldn't think about it. By the time she went up to the surface, Fragile had already taken Sam aboard the Magellan, so she followed up the ramp. When she arrived on the bridge, Fragile was sitting in her seat, Lou's pod in her hands. "Where is he?" Elle asked, looking around. Fragile sighed, "He's in the room we set up for him, sleeping off the alcohol and regaining some strength," she said. "He's carrying around an empty pod, Elle." Elle looked at the pod, and sure enough, there was nothing inside. It was completely empty, cold, the backlight dark. "Does... does he know its empty?" she asked, "I mean... is this not a trauma response? Did you see the way he was holding it back at the shelter, like she was still in there?" Fragile nodded. "He thinks she's in here, asked me to look after her whilst he slept," she said, tearfully, "It's my fault he's like this." Elle shook her head and took the pod out of her hands, placing it carefully on the ground next to the chair. "Fragile, this is not your fault, you tried your best to get her to safety," she said, hands on her sisters shoulders, "The only one to blame is the evil bastard who did this." Fragile nodded, tears rolling down her face. "Listen," Elle continued, "This expedition is going to do all of us the world of good. Me and Sam both need to get as far from our grief as possible, you need to get away from your guilt... We all need this." Fragile nodded, and then jumped as her ring terminal buzzed. "Looks like he's awake, I'll go and show him around."

When Fragile brought Sam to the Bridge, she introduced him to Tarman, who explained how the ship worked. She then pointed to Elle, and he nodded at her solemnly. "It's good to see you, Sam," Elle smiled gently, "Really good to have you onboard." He surveyed her for a moment, then said "Is it true you're Glassveil?" Elle's eyes widened. "How did you know that?" He looked her up and down, "D'you forget you turned up in your disguise when you last came to the bunker?" She put her hand over face and sighed. "Well, I guess you're not the kind of person I want to keep it a secret from... just don't tell anyone else." He smirked at that. "So he's the navigator," Sam said, tilting his head at Tarman, "What do you two do?" Elle gestured for Fragile to go first. "I make sure all of Drawbridge's plans go off without a hitch," she said, pulling a cigarette from her pocket. "So you're the captain?" Sam asked, looking somewhat impressed. "That's right," she smiled, putting the cigarette between her lips, "These days I'm Fragile in name only." He nodded, before turning to Elle. "And you?" She stood up from her seat before answering. "Well, I'm actually going to be helping you out," she said, "Whilst you're linking up the continent and dealing with the more high risk deliveries, I'll be handling lower priority deliveries, you know, fetch and carry kind of deals. But I'll also be monitoring threat levels in the area, aiming to make sure the continent is as safe as possible for you to navigate. They have a big problem with brigands in Australia, so I'll be making the rounds, clearing them out. Stomping out the weeds." Sam nodded again. "Well I appreciate it," he said, "So where're we headed?" Fragile motioned to the map holograph in the centre of the room. "Our current destination is the plate gate that you brought onto the network for us when you were connecting Mexico," she explained, "You'll need to pass through it on foot, connect the terminal on the other side, and then the ship can pass under the gate to pick you up and we'll go from there."

By the time they reached the gate, the sun was beginning to set in Mexico. Sam had disembarked and was on his way to the passing. Elle and Fragile watched from the outer deck of the ship as he disappeared between the towering structures, hearts in their mouths. "What if it doesn't lead to Australia?" Fragile asked, "What if he ends up somewhere else?" Elle snorted. "Well if that happens, you'll be doing a pretty shit job Mrs 'I make sure all of Drawbridge's plans go off without a hitch'" she laughed. Fragile playfully smacked her arm, and they both grinned when Tarman's voice came up from the bridge. "We've got a connection, get yourselves inside before we go under!"

***

Arriving in Australia had been an incredible experience. They'd been there almost a week now, Sam currently on his way to bring West Fort Knot onto the Chiral network, and she was just getting herself ready to head back to the Magellan after clearing out a brigand base, full of assholes who had been terrorising local preppers. The journeys she'd taken since touching down here had taken her breath away. The wildlife was incredible, the scenery, everything was new and exciting, and the people were mostly great too. It felt nice to be in a place where Glassveil wasn't a household name, and people were just glad to have someone delivering their parcels without rushing to gossip about her and make up fairytales once she left.

As she was getting ready to leave the bridgand base, checking for supplies at the bottom of an old parking lot, she realised she wasn't alone. She heard the slick sound of tar bubbling up from the ground, and when she looked up from the cargo pod she was checking, she realised she was surrounded by tall figures in red cloaks. Immediately, she felt dread set it... these were the ones who killed Lou. Then, as if it was just in the atmosphere, she heard a deep, familiar voice. "Well, well well, if it ain't the prettiest porter I ever did see," it said, and she felt as though her heart stopped. That was Higgs' voice. What kind of a cruel trick was this? She watched as another puddle of tar bubbled a few steps ahead of her, and a red, metallic coffin rose up. It opened like a sarcophagus, revealing a tall figure inside, shrouded in a red cloak of its own. When it stepped out of the coffin, it raised its arms, bringing flames out of the tar that burnt away all of the cloaks from all the figures around her, and itself, revealing robotic bodies, red, gold and black. The figure ahead of her, who appeared to be the leader, had metallic black legs and arms, carrying a red exoskeleton, a golden yellow chest piece that seemed to house glowing tubes that resembled intestines. It wore a bright red mask, framed with long brown hair that swept down to its shoulders. Was this a robot, or a person in a suit? She pulled out her rifle, aiming it straight at its face. "Don't come any closer," she hissed, the quiver of fear in her voice betraying her. It laughed at her, a deep, reverberating sound that sent a shiver down her spine. "Its Glassveil, right?" it asked, beginning to slowly circle her. She turned with it, gun trained on the centre of the mask. "Who the fuck are you?" She snapped, grateful for the visor over her face. "Don't tell me you don't recognise me, darlin'" it responded, "It pains me that you don't recognise my voice... Ohhh but I recognise yours. Hard to forget it after hearing it moan my name so many times." She felt her skin crawl. How was this possible? Some group terrorising them, pretending to be Higgs to get at them. This was just cruel. "Stop playing with me," she hissed, hand tightening on her gun. "Tell you what," the machine said, "I'll take off my mask if you take off yours... I've missed that pretty face." She was about to protest when suddenly, it blinked out of sight, appearing again right behind her to press the release button on her visor. The faint mechanical sound of the glass pulling back and her hood lowering. "There she is," the voice whispered now, "Well, damn, thats a face worth dyin' for." She couldn't speak, just stared at it, waiting for the inevitable - it was obviously going to kill her, and she was surrounded with no way of escape. "My turn," the voice said, and it lifted up its hand and pulled the mask away. Elle felt like her heart had dropped out of her ass and into the tar current below. It was Higgs' face, but not as she remembered him. His skin was pale, painted chalk white, black wings painted around his eyes and thick, gold chiral tears dribbling down his cheeks, the same gold on his lips. And his smile. That wicked smile, that once she had loved, but now left her uneasy. "It's me, baby," he smirked, "Did you miss me?" She stepped back until she felt one of the robots shove her back towards the Higgs pretender. "I said stop playing with me," she snapped, her voice edged with panic now. "Oh, but I thought you liked it when I played with you," he murmured, his grin sharp.

Elle's chest ached, her mind warring between denial and recognition. "Maybe you don't remember me anymore, now that you've managed to get rid of me. Forgot me on the beach and went on living your pretty little life while I was rotting away on the beach for a couple thousand years, huh? Well it gave me some time to think about who I can trust." His voice dropped into a bitter snarl, his eyes blazing, "... and spoiler alert, it ain't you. It ain't Sam. And it sure as hell ain't that bitch, Fragile." The robots hissed around them, but none moved closer, as if waiting for his command to act. The air itself felt heavy, suffocating. Elle's hands trembled as she kept the weapon trained on him... on it. Her voice was sharp but unsteady when she responded. "I don't know what game you're trying to play, but Higgs Monaghan is dead," she said, "This... whatever this is, isn't him." He laughed, loud and overly dramatic. "Dead?" he chuckled, "That what you tell yourself, baby? That I'm gone? Make it easier for you to sleep at night, huh? Easier to feel better about abandoning me if you just pretend I don't exist anymore?" Elle's chest heaved. "You don't know me," she whispered.

His grin widened as he stepped closer, hands on his knees as he bent to bring his face level with hers. "Oh, sugar, I know you very well. Intimately, some might say," he whispered, "I know your folks died in a voidout when you were six years old. I know you've got DOOMS - time jumpin', beach walkin', whole nine yards. I know you like your eggs sunny side up, toast just a little bit burnt... And I know you have a little pink birth mark, rougly the shape of Mexico on your inner thigh. Became quite well acquainted with it every time my nose was buried in your-"

"Shut the fuck up," she shouted through gritted teeth. Her throat felt like it was closing up. No one but Higgs would have known those things. She could feel tears burning hot in her eyes now, whilst his own were dancing as he was enjoying how he was getting to her. "Whoever you are, whatever you are, I don't know why you're doing this. My Higgs is dead, he's gone. He died fighting and was left on the beach, I wasn't even fucking there," Elle said, reaching up to wipe a tear from her cheek, feeling betrayed by her own eyes for letting it out. "Oh damn," he smirked, "Is that what they told you?" He looked as though he was living purely for this moment, reveling in tormenting her. "Well, as much as I'd love to... play with you a little longer" he drawled, winking at her, "I'm gonna let you head back to your fancy little boat. Sounds like you and your big sis and Sammy Boy have a story to get straight about what really happened that day on the beach." The robots around her began to slowly sink into the tar, and the one wearing Higgs' face sank back into the coffin. Before it swung shut he said, "Looking forward to our next play date," and then it closed, and she watched it sink down with the others, that laugh echoing through the building again.

***

Elle had ran from the scene, leaving behind her tri-cruiser in fear that stopping to get strapped in would make her more vulnerable if the bots came back again. Instead, she threw herself down hills and through shallow rivers, feet pounding the Earth until she saw the Magellan in the distance, grounded, with the ramp down. As she approached, she started going over in her head how she was going to break the news to Fragile and Sam that Lou's killer was a robot pretending to be Higgs. She walked along the side of the ship, and stopped when she saw the West Fort Knot staff picking apart a huge, mechanical octopus like structure in the courtyard, the ground coated in tar... had the bots been here too? That was when she caught the end of Sam and Fragile's conversation. They were speaking in hushed voices.

"He's still alive?"

"He called himself a ghost, but..."

"He found a way back from the beach, just so he could kill us?"

"It was definitely his voice I heard. I didn't get a good look at his face, but yeah, he said he came back to get revenge on you, me and Elle. Screwing with our plans to link up Australia was just another way to do that."

"They were all in red... just like the ones at your place. That could have been him too."

"You think that was Higgs?! Are you sure?"

"I'm not sure..."

"Fragile, I need you to remember!"

"I only caught a glimpse, but they were all wearing red. This is all my fault. I had him at my mercy on Amelie's beach. If I'd only finished him off, none of this would have happened. None of what happened with Elle, or Lou, or you.."

"No, you can't blame yourself. You know something's been bugging me, something he said. 'You don't know a God damn thing about Lou.' It hit me after, he's absolutely right. I mean the kid's whole life is a total mystery to me. So I gotta ask - can you look into Lou's past? You and the crew must all have access to the files recovered from the network."

"Alright Sam, I'll see what we can find out."

"Are you going to say anything to Elle?"

"No. No I don't want her to know anything. I meant it when I said back in Capital Knot, she will never find out the truth."

Elle was now leaning against the Magellan, clutching her chest. She waited until she heard Sam and Fragile walk up into the ship before letting out a gush of air, he breaths coming out ragged and painful. So he had survived. They'd left him stranded on that beach. Her own sister had lied to her, watched her almost kill herself with her grief and still maintained the lie. The betrayal was worse than anything she could have imagined. So that thing, that robot, it was Higgs, and he'd somehow found a way to access the world of the living again.

"Elle?" She looked up from where she'd sank into the tar to see Tarman popping his head round the side of the ship, "I spotted you on the surveillance camera, are you alright?" he asked. "I'm fine," she said, fighting to stand back up again, calming herself so she could enter the ship without giving away that she knew anything. "Come on, get yourself in, I've just made a fresh pot of coffee if you want one." She followed him back into the ship, and there was Fragile and Sam, heads together discussing something when she walked in. "What are you two talking about?" she asked, her voice, intended to come out in a tone that wasn't at all suspicious, instead coming out snappy and aggressive. Fragile bristled, but laughed, assuming it was in jest. "None of your business," she smirked, "How did it go at the brigand base?"

At this moment, Elle chose violence. "Were you talking about Higgs?" she asked, not giving them a chance to respond before continuing, ignoring how Sam's eyes widened and Fragile's mouth opened into a shocked expression. "Tell me again, what happened that day on the beach, with Higgs and Amelie..." Fragile and Sam exchanged a look. "I told you, there was a battle, he lost, and didn't survive his injuries... What is this about?" Fragile asked, the faux confusion on her face making Elle's blood boil. She snorted, "That's a bit misleading Fragile." Her sister frowned, "What is misleading?" "The lie you just told," Elle spat back, "'If only I'd finished him off, none of this would have happened' is what you just said outside, right?" The blood seemed to have ran out of Fragile's face. "Elle..." she began. "No, save it," Elle snapped, cutting her off, "I don't want to hear you justify it. You lied to me. You've both been lying to me, all this time. I can't believe this. After everything I went through, after I begged you to bring him back if you could... You left him there, you left him alone on that beach... no wonder he wants to kill us. I thought he wasn't real, I thought it was an illusion." Fragile and Sam both stood up at this, faces panicked. "You saw him?" Sam demanded, "Where?"

"Fuck you, Sam," Elle hissed, and she turned right back round and walked out to the hangar, opening the garage to take one of the waiting trucks. She threw open the materials bunker, pulling out everything she needed to build a safe house and dumped it in the bed. As she went to climb up into the driver's seat, Fragile appeared beside her. "Elle, I lied to protect you, I'm sorry, I should have told you the truth, I'm sorry, I know that now." Elle just glared at her. "You know what," she said, voice low, shaking with anger, "It would have been great if you'd known that back at Edge Knot." And she climbed up into the truck, preparing to pull away. Fragile stood in front of the truck, blocking the way. "I can't let you leave," she said, tears beginning to roll out of her eyes. Elle just stared, waiting for her to move. When she didn't she revved the trucks engine, but she still didn't move. She revved the engine again, this time slightly lifting the brake so the truck jolted forward. Fragile jumped out of the way, thinking the truck was about to hit her, and as soon as she moved, Elle pulled out of the Magellan and drove away, leaving Fragile sobbing in the hangar, watching her sister disappear, and fearing she was pushing her right back into Higgs' claws.

Chapter Text

The beach stretched, endless and gray, waves lapping in their eternal rhythm, sky forever torn between dusk and dawn. Higgs stumbled across the sand, still aching from his defeat. Amelie was gone. Fragile's eyes still burned into his mind, the hatred he saw there as she left him still stinging. Sam's shadow eclipsing him as he looked down upon him. But worst of all... Elle.

"Elle?" he called, his voice breaking, "Baby girl, I'm still here. I..." His throat tightened. No answer, only the crash of waves, because she wasn't there. She couldn't hear him. He was alone.

Days, weeks, months... time had no meaning here. He started to see her, standing miles down the beach, looking right at him and waving at him, beckoning for him to come to her. He'd sprint until his lungs burned, sometimes falling over his feet, sand and salt in his mouth as he scrambled to get to her, but by the time he'd reached the spot she'd been waiting for him, she was already gone. The emptiness mocked him.

Each time, he collapsed, sobbing into the sand, whispering her name. "She's coming. She'll come. She has to. She wouldn't leave me." He repeated it until it became a mantra, as thought the beach itself might be convinced, and let him catch up to her next time.

The visions didn't stop. Sometimes she smiled. Sometimes she turned away. Once, he swore she blew him a kiss. One time, when he found himself slipping into a fitful sleep, he could have sworn he felt her breath on his ear, whispering his name, but when he jolted awake, there was nothing there. Always out of reach. Always a trick. Why was she doing this to him?

Fear curdled into loneliness, and loneliness rotted into paranoia. He'd pace the sand for hours, claw at his hair, scream her name until the wind carried it away. He started shouting at Fragile too, imaginary confrontations where he spat venom at her for leaving him there, abandoning him. He saw Sam's face in the clouds, mocking him, taunting him with survival.

At night, he carved Elle's name into the sand with trembling fingers, only to watch the tide erase it again and again. "She'll come," he muttered through clenched teeth, "She'll come and get me. She promised me forever."

But forever was starting to feel like a curse.

***

Centuries... millennia slipped by. He stopped crying. His voice grew hoarse from screaming. He started laughing instead, a deep, rumbling laugh that scared even himself. "Fragile the saint. Sam the hero. Elle the... angel," his tone twisted and mocking, "Where's my angel now, huh? Where's that saving grace?" He pictured her alive, smiling with Fragile, maybe even with Sam. Maybe she'd forgotten him. Maybe she'd chosen them over him. The thought festered, turned love into something brittle, venemous.

"They'll see," he hissed, pacing the shoreline, "They'll all see. You can't chain Higgs Monaghan and expect him to die quiet. I'll find a way back. I'll finish what I started. I'll show them I was right all along."

Even as bitterness consumed him, deep down a fragile ember of hope flickered. "She'll come, she'll save me." He looked up then, and saw her, but she wasn't alone. He stood, walking closer, amazed as she didn't run away this time. But the closer he got, he saw she wasn't alone. There was a group of people... Elle, Sam, Fragile, and more... They'd finally come to get him. He ran to them, a smile of relief on his face, forgetting all the bitterness he'd started to lean in to. But when he got close enough to see their faces, he saw they were all laughing at him. Mocking him. Looking at him like he was a loser. Even Elle. He searched her face, questioning, betrayal etched in his face, that only got worse when she stepped aside, to give Amelie and his uncle a good look at the mess he'd become.

She wasn't coming to save him.

***

The longer he lingered, the wilder his fantasies grew. He imagined tearing Fragile apart piece by piece, mocking her weakness, throwing her body into the timefall so he could finally see her become the damaged goods she should be. He pictured Sam, writhing in agony as he tortured him, waiting for him to repatriate just so he could start again, reveling in his endless agony. And Elle - oh, Elle. She was the only one his mind couldn't conjure anything up for.

Some days he dreamed of her arms around him, telling him she forgave him, apologising for leaving him there so long, pulling him home to the familiarity of their little bunker. Other times, he ranted at her imagined ghost, spitting that she had betrayed him, abandoned him, that maybe she never loved him at all. His love and hate entwined, inseparable, devouring him from within.

He muttered plans under his breath, scribbled them in the sand like equations - how to bring the last stranding, how to tear it all down, how to find an extinction entity, how to end it once and for all. Each tide erased them, but he didn't care, he'd just start again, whispering "This time I'll finish it. This time they'll choke on my truth."

***

The gun sat, half buried where Fragile had placed it that day, thousands of years ago. Higgs walked by it countless times before he ever picked it up.

At first he just looked, turning it over in his hands, caressing the cool metal, rubbing it on his face just to feel something, whispering Elle's name like he might conjure her up to stop him doing anything with the gun. But of course she didn't appear, she didn't care. She'd probably just tell him to do it.

But the years piled higher. His body unchanged save for his hair, now grown past his chin, but his mind was fractured. The loneliness gnawed until even the idea of revenge couldn't fill the void.

He sat with the gun cradled in his lap, rocking it like a baby. "She ain't comin'," he told the gun, "She forgot me, they all forgot me." His voice cracked into a sob when the gun didn't offer him any comfort - it just looked at him, waiting to see what he did next. "Guess ol' Higgs is just another ghost on the sand."

He took a deep breath as he looked out to the horizon, a tear rolling down his cheek as he saw her, out there, waist deep in the water, waving at him to join her. "Nah, not this time," he shouted out to her, pressing the muzzle to his temple. And for the first time in thousands of years... silence. Not the silence of the beach, but the silence of surrender. He'd waited long enough.

And still, even then, he whispered her name.

Chapter Text

The safe house hummed faintly, walls still smelling of fresh fabrication. Elle sat on the cot with her knees pulled up to her chest, her porter suit and boots on the ground beside her, wearing the cargo pants and white vets she always wore under her suit. The room was small, sterile, just enough for a porter to rest between runs. But for her, it felt like a cell, a place to hide from everything she thought she knew. Fragile's words kept replaying in her mind. Not dead. Never dead. Exiled. Left to rot. Left alone. Elle pressed her palms into her temples, shaking her head as if she could scrub the lie from her brain. Fragile had looked her in the eyes, sworn to her that Higgs was gone. Sam had gone along with it too, stoic silence that spoke volumes. She felt gutted, her heart hollow. If she though about it too long, she could almost hear him screaming her name across the sand of that endless, merciless beach. She whispered his aloud, and the word felt strange now, fragile as glass on her tongue. "Higgs."

He had been abandoned, and for what? To keep her safe? To keep her under control? To keep her loyal to Fragile's side? Or because they'd both decided he wasn't worth saving? A monster, not a man. Elle's throat ached as she pictured him pacing that desolate shoreline, waiting for her, believing she would come. And she hadn't. She'd grieved, not even knowing he was still breathing. She'd been trying to move forward, started to enjoy her life, all the while he was there, suffering. The guilt made her feel physically sick.

But then came another image, the one that twisted her stomach in knots: the robot that had stood in front of her, wearing his face, speaking with his voice. But the voice was distorted, his bitterness leaked through, his laugh low and venomous. He had changed. Of course he had changed. No one could be alone that long and not start to lose their mind. But maybe he was not completely lost? Maybe the man she loved was buried still under layers of resentment and rage.

And then it dawned on her - the red cloaks... Had Higgs killed Lou? Shot at Fragile?

Elle buried her face in her hands, torn between grief and fury. "Why didn't you tell me?" she muttered, voice cracking, meant for Fragile but only echoing against the safe house walls. Tears seeped hot through her fingers. She hated them both, Sam and Fragile. No, she didn't hate them. Even in her rage she knew they'd had good intentions. But she hated what they'd done. She hated herself for not knowing, not questioning, for not realising that, back when she had come out of her coma and mentioned she felt like she still had a connection with him, was because he was still alive.

And yet, under the storm of betrayal, from both Sam and Fragile, and also from Higgs, one thought refused to die. Was he still salvageable? Could she still reach him, now there was no Amelie to pull him under again? Or was the Higgs she knew gone for good, replaced by this angry, twisted version of him? The question lingered in her chest, a burning coal she couldn't extinguish. If there was even a chance - just one - then she knew she had to try.

The air in the safe house suddenly thickened, heavy with the smell of chiralium and smoke and salt. Elle froze, lifting her head. The hum of the generator faltered, the lights flickered, and a wet, sucking sound filled the small room. Tar began to bubble up between the floor panels, thick and black, spreading like veins across the ground. From it rose a figure - broad shouldered, all red, black and gold, whirring and pulsing, no mask this time, but wearing the same painted face, with the same cocky swagger that infuriated and enthralled her all at once. He spread his arms open wide, voice curling like smoke around her. "Knock knock," he smirked, "Room in here for one more?" Elle looked him up and down, a mix of fear and tragic sadness on her face. "I overheard Fragile and Sam, talking about you coming back... Higgs, is this really you?" she asked, voice shaking slightly, "I need to know, please don't lie to me or mock me." He tilted his head, a grin in his voice that indicated he would mock her anyway. "What's the matter, darlin'" he said, "You didn't recognise your old flame? Thought I'd drop by for a little reunion." He laughed, low and venomous.

"I was telling the truth before, I thought you were dead," she hissed, "I asked them to bring you back after the battle, they promised me, and when Fragile came back she told me you had died in the battle." His tone snapped back sharp, but still cocky, trying to maintain his bravado despite his frustrations. "Dead? That's what they told you, huh? Convenient little bed time story." He stepped closer, tar dripping from his boots and dissolving into the floor. "You left me there. You left me. All alone on the beach, forever. So forgive me if I don't believe your little story." Elle shook her head, voice breaking. "No Higgs, I didn't-"

"Don't lie to me!" he interrupted her, laughing at the tears. "You went on didn't you? Played delivery girl, superhero, giggling over your little gossip columns, all while I was rottin' away. You didn't even look for me, spare the crocodile tears." Her protests tumbled over each other, desperate. "I DID look for you! I searched for you for months, for your body, to bring some part of you back so I could lay you to rest. I almost died, Higgs! They had to put me in a fucking coma to stop me trying to find you! I only started trying to live again because I was fed the story that you were dead." That stopped him for a beat. The thought of her harming herself looking for him... he couldn't deny that that pained him. But the bitterness and distrust that had been building up for centuries bubbled back up fast. He crouched slightly, his voice taking on a tone of condescension. "Touchin' story. But if you'd really cared, sweetheart... if you were half as competent as you pretend to be, you'd have found the right beach." The sting of it split her open, and before her mind could register what she was doing, her hand flashed out, striking him across the face. She employed great self control to not allow the pain of her palm connecting with the metal behind the projection of his face to register in her expression. The sound of the sharp slap echoed around the room. He chuckled, barely affected by it, his laugh dark and delighted. "There she is," he drawled, "Thought you'd gone soft on me." Trembling with fury, she raised her hand again, but this time when she threw her hand towards him, she heard the mechanical sound of his arm swiping forward, catching her by the wrist and holding it in a vice like grip. His voice dropped low, dangerous, like rough velvet. "Careful now," he growled, "Don't try that again." Elle glared through tears, spitting the words back at him. "Or what?" she hissed.

The air between them tightened like a wire about to snap. He moved with a predator's grace and speed, using the hand on her wrist to pull her arm up, spin her around so his chest was pressed against her back, arm around her neck, loose enough that she could breath, but tight enough that she was restrained and couldn't move, the other hand restraining her at the hip, anchoring her in place. His face hovered close to hers, voice dropping into a dangerous murmur, as if they were in a room full of people and he was telling her a secret. "Oh sugar, you don't wanna know what I'll do if you slap me again," he said, every syllable drenched in a different kind of hunger that she couldn't deny, made her breathing hitch.

She writhed in his grip, but every movement only drew her tighter against him. His feet stayed planted to the ground, arms like iron caging her in, and the more she resisted, the more aware she became of his body pressed against hers. Higgs dipped his head, running his nose gently up the pulsing vein in her neck. "Goddamn, darlin', this feels just like old times," he whispered into her ear, and before she could respond, he dragged his tongue from her jaw up to her cheekbone, groaning theatrically, a deep, guttural sound that was more mockery than desire. "Mmm, still sweet as ever," he smirked. Elle's stomach twisted, with fury, shame, and also longing and undeniable arousal. Her skin burned where his tongue had touched, heat coiling low in her belly. She shoved against him again, desperate to make him stumble, but it was like slamming against a brick wall. "Ain't no use fightin' me, Elle," he said, tightening his hold just enough to remind her of his strength, "You can't wriggle out, not unless I let you. And judging by the way your body's behaving, I don't think you want me to let you go just yet." Her pulse thundered in her ears. She hated him for saying it, but hated him more for being right. "You don't know a damn thing about me," she spat, though her voice cracked around the edges.

He chuckled again, slow and satisfied, the sound of a man who had already won, and had her like putty in his hands. "Don't I?" he asked, feigning shock, "Did you forget, I've had you on your back so manhy times, I know what you look like when you're enjoying yourself, what you sound like... what you smell like. Question is, how long you gonna keep lyin' to yourself, and just let yourself go?" Her struggles slowed, the fight draining from her limbs as his grip shifted. The cold weight of his metallic hands traced deliberately down her sides, the curve of her waist, lingering at her hips as though savouring the rediscovery of her shape. Elle shivered, not from fear, but from how familiar it felt, how unmistakably him. Higgs hummed, satisfied. "There we go... that's it, sugar. Don't it feel good to stop pretendin'?" He traced small kisses gently on her neck, at the sweet spot she'd always liked, not knowing how he was doing this when his face was a projection on a metal plate. But she didn't care to ask. Her body betrayed her, hips rolling back against his steady frame behind her. His low chuckle rumbled through her, wicked and intimate as he rested his chin on her shoulder, talking into her ear with a voice that gave away his own arousal, as his hand snaked down her body, pushing under the waistband of her cargo pants and palming her sex. She gasped, pressing her thighs together as she felt the cold metal of one of his fingers circling her clit with a slow, cruel pace. "Tell me somethin', Elle. When I was gone - when you thought I was six feet under - did you ever touch yourself thinkin' about me? Hm? Tell me you whispered my name with your hand between your thighs." She shuddered, a hand snapping down to cover his through her pants, feeling the strength in the mechanical tendons, despite the gentle circle he was drawing around and around her clit. She couldn't answer him through the heavy breaths that were escaping her as she felt the slow, familiar tension building inside her. "Cause I sure as hell thought of you," he continued, "Mmm, yeah, sometimes I'd just while away that days thinking about all the times I had you, what it felt to be inside this pussy." he slipped his finger inside her then, and she moaned, turning her face towards his, their faces so close he was talking into her mouth. "Oh, I thought about doing this to you for so long," he started pumping his finger in and out, the heel of his palm rubbing against her clit, the dual stimulation threatening to push her over the edge, her breaths coming out now in short, sharp gasps. "I worried maybe you'd taken another man, has there been anyone else?" he breathed into her mouth. She shook her head sharply, gasping, "There is no one else Higgs, its you or nothing." He groaned then, his hand moving even faster, faster than a human could move, and she came undone quickly, a guttural groan bursting from her lungs, a hand reaching up to fist his hair. He laughed quietly, smug as he whispered "That's it... that's my girl," before pulling his hand out of her pants, finger glistening with her slick. His eyes burned into hers as he wiped her onto his lips and licked her off.

She didn't know what to do with herself now, standing there in the middle of the room feeling vulnerable. She should have felt violated, but if she was honest with herself, she felt like a new woman. She sat back down on the bed, hands covering her face. "Higgs," she whispered as her breathing steadied, "Higgs I need to see the real you. I need to know this is real." The silence between them stretched, broken only by the faint hiss of tar that began to bubble at his feet. She looked up to see his grin lingered, but it had shifted - less mockery now, more intent. Slowly, he raised one massive, metal hands toward her. "Take my hand, beautiful," he smirked, his voice softer than she expected, though the rasp of arrogance still threaded through it, "I'll take you back to my place. Somewhere we can... talk. Properly."

She stared at his outstretched hand. Her heart hammered in her chest, every instinct telling her not to trust him, not to fall into whatever trap he was laying, but another, quieter voice whispered 'What if its really him?' She clenched her fists at her sides, trembling with the fear of the unknown. To reach for him was to risk corruption, risk everything Fragile had tried to protect her from. But to refuse would mean leaving him again, choosing someone else over him. Her breath shuddered as she raised her hand, placing it in his own outstretched palm. The cold metal closed gently round her palm, pulling her close to him so he could hold her against his chest. He looked down at her, searching her face, and for a moment his cocky grin was replaced with something else... he looked stunned, almost disbelieving. "Well, I'll be damned," he murmured, the cockiness breaking, "Didn't think you'd actually accept." Her pulse thundered as he instructed her to wrap her arms around his waist, to stay still and not let go of him, no matter what. She felt the sensation of the tar climbing up her body, and when she looked down, she noticed they were slowly sinking into the floor. As the tar reached their shoulders, he smiled. "Take a deep breath, darlin'." And then they were under the tar.

She looked around, shocked that she could actually see, expecting to see nothing but the slick, black liquid. But instead she saw whales - felt the pressure above their heads of a huge, black whale swimming close enough to touch. She looked at him, and he smiled. She watched as the robotic form seemed to glimmer away, replaced by the Higgs she remembered as they sank lower and deeper into the tar that surrounded them. His own skin, hair, eyes, the tattoos on his forehead. And then she felt like she was being pulled through a vacuum and he let go of her.

The tar spat her out hard onto black sand. Elle staggered, steadying herself, but when she looked around, he wasn't there. The beach stretched in every direction, silent except for the whine of the wind and the crash of the waves. It was darker here than any of the other beaches she'd landed on when she'd been searching for him. The sand black, the sea black, the sky bruised with deep purple thunder clouds. This was a manifestation of his dark frame of mind. She couldn't see or hear anyone else, and she felt the panic begin to set in as she started coming to the conclusion that it had been a trap, and he'd dumped her somewhere. But then she turned again and saw him. A figure stood far down the beach. Her legs felt like they were made of lead as she stumbled towards him. The closer she got, the more the years collapsed in on themselves, until she was standing before her man. No mask, no sneer, no iron swagger. Just Higgs. Wearing nothing but the cargo pants he'd been wearing the day she'd met him at that bunker outside of Edge Knot City, though now they were torn at the knee, the hems coming undone. His hair was longer, just like the robot Higgs, settling on his shoulders. He kept his head down, as if ashamed to be seen like this.

Her chest squeezed. It was really him. Slowly she reached out, and he flinched away from her hand. Her throat ached as she whispered, barely audible over the surf, "Let me." A pause, then at last he stilled, allowing her fingers to gently brush his cheek. Warm, real. She gasped, the sound ragged, and he sighed, his eyes falling shut. He was touched starved, and her hand alone undid him. She brought up her other hand and slowly began mapping his face, running her hands over the rough line of his jaw, the curve of his nose, the tattoos she'd memorised. The softness of his lips, the ridges of muscles and tendons at his neck and shoulders. Finally, she pressed her palms flat to his chest, his heart thundering against them in response. That broke here. She threw herself into him, arms around his neck, sobbing against his neck. For a beat, he didn't move, as if afraid she wasn't real, just another projection the beach conjured up. But when he felt the wetness of her tears on his skin, the faint thud of her heart beating against his own chest, he let out a gasp that was half sob, half sigh of relief, and wrapped his arms around her waist, hauling her closer, his grip desperate, trembling. His voice came out hoarse against her hair, already matting under his tears and hot breath. "Why didn't you come sooner?" he pleaded, "I waited so long, I screamed for you." She pulled back, tears streaking her face, and told him everything

She told him how Fragile had promised to bring him back if he survived, that he would face justice and then begin the work on unlearning everything Amelie had shoehorned into his mind. She told him about how she'd beaten her hands bloody on the floor of the Edge Knot private room when Fragile told her he'd died in the battle and couldn't bring his body back. How she'd jumped to so many beaches in such a short space of time that she almost bled to death. How Bridges medics had put her in a coma just to stop her from killing herself. And finally, with her voice cracking, she told him how she'd gone to the mountain for him.

His head jerked up. "What mountain?" he asked, voice confused. Then, it came flooding back to him. The mountain he'd pointed to that one time. A moment that lasted mere minutes, a passing comment, that she had remembered after all that time. His composure cracked completely, and though the tears flowed, and his lip trembled violently, he managed a small smile in this poignant moment. "What did the sunrise look like from the top?" he asked, stroking his hand down her cheek to cup her chin. Her own eyes glittered in response, "It was as beautiful as you imagined," she whispered, "I built a memorial to you at the top, so that if your spirit ever visited, it could find that spot and watch the sunrise." He shook his head as he observed her, and something deep inside him seemed to fracture. It was if she'd peeled away centuries of betrayal, hatred, bitterness and vengefulness, and left only the man who once loved her without condition.

The kiss came rough, sudden, his mouth crushing against hers, raw and messy with thousands of years of grief and need. She kissed him back with equal ferocity as they sank to the sand. Their bodies collided, and she sighed as her hands could finally touch his warm, familiar skin rather than the cold, hard metal. Their mouths and hands were frantic, clawing, clutching, rediscovering. It wasn't gentle or careful, it was animal, desperate, a reclaiming of what had been stolen. Her nails scored his shoulders as he pushed her onto her back, his hands roaming her body as if she might vanish again. Every gasp, every groan, was laced with pain and hunger and eons of longing that erupted now with no restraint. For the first time since his exile, Higgs felt alive. And for Elle, every touch, every rough grab as he man handled her, was proof he was real, that he still existed. On the black sand of his prison, they fucked like they'd been starved for a lifetime and had finally been allowed to feast.

The heat of his body, the familiar weight of him pressing down onto her, the softness of her skin and the way her strong, muscular legs entrapped him, locking his hips in place - it all came back in a rush, overwhelming them with memories of long, sweaty nights of unending pleasure. Their mouths broke apart only long enough to breathe, but even then their foreheads stayed pressed together, their gasps mingling. His lips found her jaw, her throat, biting, tasting and every sound she made spurred him on. Elle arched into him, pressing her breasts into him, and Higgs groaned against her skin, muttering half broken things - her name, curses, words of devotion laced with years of rage and longing. When he entered her, it wasn't tender, it was hard, aggressive, and she hissed feeling the delicious sensation of being full again - it was almost painful as she felt him slam against her cervix, but even still, she gripped his ass and dragged his hips with her legs, trying to take him in further. The sand beneath them shifted as he thrust into her with a rhythm that was rough, uneven, and she met him with equal force, digging her nails into his skin and making him groan in pain and pleasure, along with sinking her teeth into his shoulder to keep from screaming. "Ah, ah, baby, there's no one to hear us, you can scream as loud as you want," he panted as a bead of sweat ran from his forehead to the tip of his nose and landed with a slap on her chest. He altered his position and pushed into her again, moving his hips in a figure eight, and she felt him hitting exactly where she needed him to, and she arched her back so far she almost lifted him off the ground, a strained, guttural scream erupting from her as she felt something she thought she'd never feel again.

Higgs hips began to grow even sharper, even rougher, each one dragging a broken moan from Elle's throat. She felt his breath, hot against her neck, intermingled with little whimpers that gave it away that he was close. Her cunt tightened around him, trembling, pushing him over the edge. With a hoarse snarl, he slammed into her, and came hard, spilling hot waves of cum deep inside her. His release came in thick pulses, wringing a moan from her as she found her release too, her walls meeting each pulse of his cock with a squeeze that milked every last drop out of him. "Fuck, Elle," he groaned, panting as his body jerked against her, every last drop bled dry from him.

He collapsed on the sand beside her, both of them feeling completely satiated. Her thighs ached from being spread so wide to accommodate him, and her pussy throbbed from the force of his thrusts, and she reveled in the feeling of his load slowly leaking out of her and sinking into the sand. She turned to look at him, and he turned to look at her, and they laughed. Really laughed. "Damn," he panted, wiping a hand down his face and flicking the sweat on to the sand, "I needed that." They both laughed again, part mortified at the display they'd just put on and part amused at how ridiculous it was that they'd fucked on the beach of all places. The laughs died down slowly, and their hands found each other in the sand, holding each other tight. "I can't believe you're alive," she whispered, tears already starting to well up again. "I can't believe you're here for real, this time," he breathed back.

***

Elle lost track of how much time she'd spent on the beach with Higgs. If she'd had to hedge a guess, in real world time it would have been at least a month, but with the way time passed on the beach, it felt like years. She and Higgs talked about everything except the things he'd done, her dark days after his supposed death... they just talked, and fucked, and slept beside each other. Sometimes, she would wake up and he had disappeared, and would be gone for extended periods, only to reappear again. She'd started to feel like she should go back, rejoin Fragile and the crew, or at least let them know she was still alive. As much as she hated what Fragile had done, she didn't want to lose contact with her.

One day, night, or whatever time it was, Higgs came to sit beside her, arm around her shoulders as she stared out at the horizon, deep in thought. "What you thinkin' bout?" he asked, nudging her. She looked at him then, "What did you mean, when you said you couldn't believe I was here 'for real this time'?" she asked. He couldn't make eye contact with her, but she sensed the weight on his chest as he took a deep breath. "For years, I'd wake up every day and see you," he began, "You would stand miles down the beach, and every time I saw you, no matter how many times you appeared, I'd run the whole length of the beach, but by the time I got close enough you would disappear. And the visions at first were real nice. You'd wave at me, one time you blew me a kiss. But then you'd start lookin' disappointed, then hateful. And the one that still gives me nightmares, was you standin' with Fragile, Sam, Amelie and... my uncle. And you all just looked at me with disgust, laughing at me. The last time I saw you, you were out there, in the ocean, waving for me to join you in the water, and I knew at that point I was done." She looked at him, feeling guilt over something she hadn't even done. "What do you mean, you were done?" she asked, quietly. He sniffed, running a hand through his hair. "Your lovely sister left me this," he said, unburying a gun from the sand, "She gave me the choice all thos years ago - off myself or exile. And I finally decided to make the choice." He held the gun to his head and made a gentle "poof" sound. She shuffled closer to him, wrapped her arms around him, not knowing what else to say. After a long silence where she rubbed her thumb gently on the back of his hand, she finally asked, "But how are you here? I thought... I thought if you die on the beach, thats it. And besides, you're not a repatriate... are you?" He shook his head. "I died alright," he said, "But someone thought I still had work to do, so they brought me back." She bristled, brow furrowing, "Work to do? What work?" she asked, her voice coming out snappier than intended. He cursed under his breath and shook his head. "Oh Higgs, please," she hissed, standing up to pace the sand, "Please don't tell me you're doing it again?" He rose to his feet slowly, with the slow movements of a man who believed it was pointless to pretend now the cat was out of the bag.

"Look, darlin', I'm done. I hate this world, I fuckin' hate it," he snapped, "It's never cared about me, and I need to finish what Amelie started." Elle could feel herself shaking. "Oh my god," she whispered, "What a fucking idiot I am, of course you haven't changed, you haven't... you haven't learned anything about being stuck here, have you?" He looked genuinely hurt by that. "Oh, what, you think I deserved to be here? All this time? Maybe you did leave me, were you in on it?" She felt like she wanted to punch him. "I'm not going to convince you of the contrary anymore," she screamed, "I told you the truth, I had nothing to do with it. But I hoped that maybe being here might have taught you that you were wrong, maybe there was a little part of you that thought, seeing me here, us being back together, might make you realise there is something to live for? Is there not even a little part of you that wants to just live a happy life? Yes, the world will end one day, everyone is going to die eventually, but its not your responsibility to choose when that is, who the fuck are you?"

"I don't even know if its about doing whats right, giving humanity what it deserves, anymore," he said, tone devoid of emotion, "Honestly, sweetheart, I just want my revenge on Fragile and Sam." That shook her, and she suddenly remembered Fragile's conversation with Sam, when she'd told him that the assailants at the bunker, who'd shot her and killed Lou, wore the same cloaks that Higgs and his cronies had worn when he'd accosted Sam the day Elle ran away. She felt her blood run cold and stepped back. "Revenge?" she whispered, voice shaking, "Higgs, did you... did you kill Lou?" She saw hurt on his face. "You think I'd shoot a baby?" he hissed. Elle shook her head, "I mean, is it really a wild accusation considering your planning to kill all the babies in the world when you unleash the last stranding?" she snapped.

"When I got to Sam's shelter, I was there for Sam," he said, his voice low and humming with anger, "And when I found Fragile was there, I thought, great, I can get the two of 'em. But she got away, managed to shoot her bike, and as I got closer I saw Lou. I hadn't planned what I would do with her, but I sure as hell wasn't gonna shoot a baby. But I didn't get chance to decide because the pair of 'em disappeared, they jumped somewhere. Then Fragile reappeared again on her own. I shot at her and she jumped again, the bullet only scraped her arm, dammit. But, Elle, I didn't hurt the baby."

They stood in silence as she looked him up and down, wondering if he was lying. She wanted to believe he wouldn't kill a baby, but she just didn't know what he was capable of anymore. "I want to go back," she said, quietly, already feeling the guilt, despite herself. "Back where," he said, panic rising in his throat. "I want to get off this fucking beach, I need to go back to reality," she snapped. His eyes widened. "Elle, baby please, I didn't kill Lou," he said, rushing forward and kneeling at her feet, hands clutching her thighs, "Please, please don't leave me here." She felt her own tears starting to burn behind her eyes. "Higgs, its not just about Lou," she said, voice shaking, "Its everything. I've loved you, I do love you, unconditionally but I can't keep this up. I love you so much, but you keep fucking up, you keep saying you're still going to end it all. I love you, but I'm not convinced you feel the same way... do you even like me? Or am I just a toy for you?" He looked deeply offended. "I'm doing all of this because I love you, Elle," he said, but she cut him off before he could continue. "No, don't tell me you're doing this for me, I've told you time and time again that I want to live, I want to have a life where I can one day have you, and Fragile, and Sam and everyone else that I care about, all living alongside me, but your actions constantly are in direct contradiction of that. You need to make up your mind and get your priorities in order. I want to go back right now though."

"Fine," he hissed, reaching to pull her against him, already sinking into the tar, "You want to go back, I'll take you back, see if they'll welcome you with open arms after everything I've told them about all the fun we've been having here." Before she could respond, their heads dipped under the tar, and after a few moments she felt the skin of his arms replaced with cold metal, signifying the change that meant she was now being held by the mech he'd been using to walk the real world with. Everything went dark, and when she reopened her eyes, they were rising into the control room of the DHV Magellan. Everyone was looking out the front windows, at what looked like a huge, metal octopus, holding the ship in place. Her eyes landed on the back of Fragile's head. Before she could call out to her, Higgs shoved Elle to the side and lurched forward to grab Fragile, holding her in place with a huge, metal guitar that he had materialised during the jump. Everyone turned around to look, and Elle noticed some familiar face - Rainy, the girl she and Fragile had picked up months ago, suffering with still baby syndrome. Heartman, who she'd met and spoke with several times while Sam had been connecting the UCA. Tarman and Sam looked down at Elle and back at Fragile. There was one face Elle didn't recognise. A young woman, pale skin and blonde hair, sitting in her old seat at the control panel. This wasn't someone she'd met before, and yet she couldn't help thinking she looked familiar.

Higgs laughed menacingly as the crew realised what was going on, and Sam jumped up to try to help Fragile. "Hold it," Higgs snapped, before looking down at himself and back at Sam, "Yeah, I'm hardly a repatriate but... I'm immortal enough." Elle looked up at him, confused about what he was talking about. "He's been coming here and terrorising us while you've been lying about on the beach," Fragile snapped, glaring down at Elle. Elle looked up, trying to meet Higgs' eye but he purposefully avoided looking at her, instead looking at all the face in front of him. "Damn, when'd you start runnin' with such a big crew Sam-" he was cut off as Fragile struck him, a punch to the jaw that caused him to tighten his grip. The guitar sparked with electricity, and Elle shuddered, seeing how close it was to Fragile's face. Her sister struggled, and Higgs smirked. "Settle, settle," he said gently, then looking to Sam, "Unless... you want me to blow her head off?" He looked up quietly at the crew then, surveying them slowly, taking in a deep breath before he continued grandstanding, looking back at Fragile. "You know I'm only here to get revenge on you... and Sam. The rest of y'all I really have no quarrel with so, you know. You let me keep the two of them and y'all can fuck off." The crew was silent, watching him talk but none of them moving to leave Fragile and Sam with him. Elle shook her head, "Are you done?" she hissed. He looked down at her and winked wickedly, before turning back to the crew, noticing that they would all fight to save Fragile and Sam. "Ohhh," he said, feigning emotion, "Y'all wanna die together. Except for the fact that Sam's a repatriate so, he can't really share in your sad fate. But! Before I pop him, he gets to watch me kill all y'all." He laughed then, seemingly pleased with himself and Elle's lip curled in disgust. She was about to stand up, defy him, when the young girl she didn't recognise stood up, kicking her shoes off and walking bare foot towards Higgs.

He seemed to sense something in the girl, and threw Fragile to the floor, his guitar disappearing in a cloud of chiral dust. Fragile landed by Elle's side, and she tried to grab her sister, but Fragile shook her off angrily. The girl squared up to Higgs and he had a look of awe in his eyes as his hands reached up to cup her face. Then, everything seemed to go dark.

The next thing Elle knew, she was looking at Higgs' robotic body sprawled out on the floor of the control room, his face no longer projecting out of the head, and a black crack spreading across it, his hands gone, laying in ashy clumps on the ground nearby. "What the fuck?" Sam said, confused. "A ghost mech?" came Dollman's voice, from where he hung from the ceiling, "So he's, what... mecha-Higgs?" The crew looked at each other confused, apparently believing the whole time that this was the real Higgs. "Sorry to disappoint, but I don't break that easy" came his distorted voice, as the mech began to rise to its feet again, his face flickering in an out of focus, "Alright so be it. Y'all can all go down with the ship." His voice was a growl, angry and probably a little embarrassed that he'd been defeated by a child. As he sank into the tar, he turned to look at Elle, betrayed that she didn't try to follow him.

The octopus holding the ship began to constrict its arms, attempting to crush the Magellan. "It's going to take out the ship if we don't stop it," Tarman shouted, "We have no artillery, Sam, we need you to go outside and fight it off." Sam nodded on his way to the elevator to go down to the hangar. "I'll come with you," Elle said, standing to follow him, but he shoved past her, as if she wasn't there. "You've done enough," Fragile snapped, "Go to your room, and we'll talk about it later. We've all got work to do, to actually protect our own." Elle felt the sting of rejection, but did as she was told. Fragile was, at the end of the day, the captain of the ship. She turned and walked through the ship as best she could, feeling it rock and shake with the force of the battle going on outside. When she sat down on her bed, she felt the raw emotion and fear of what would happen next wash over her. She sobbed, hating that she'd seen Higgs like this, hating that she still felt the bite of Fragile's betrayal, now mixed with Higgs' playing her like a fiddle and the guilt she felt, because this time she really had left him on the beach, left him behind to continue rotting. But it played in her head, that someone had brought him back... Who would do that? Why would they do that?

Higgs had always been dangerous, always planned destruction like it was a game. But this was different. There was no mask of devotion now, no misguided loyalty to Amelie driving him. This was raw hunger for revenge, power, retribution. He was running on pure spite. And it terrified her more than she wanted to admit that even so, she still had love in her heart for him. When she replayed the way he'd laughed in the control room, gleefully talking about making Sam watch as he killed the crew, the anger in his voice and the way he glared at Elle when he left, it was hard to see anything but the monster everyone had been telling her he was. Her throat burned as she tried not to cry. She hated Fragile for lying to her, hated Sam for going along with it, hated Higgs for constantly fooling her, but most of all she hated herself for still yearning for him. For still believing somewhere deep down there might be something she could reach. That devotion, she realised, was her curse. She could understand now, how conflicted Higgs had been with his devotion for Amelie. In this situation, Elle was the Higgs to his Amelie. She pressed the heels of her hands into her eyes to try and stem the tears, pressing until her eyeballs ached in protest. "Can he be saved?" she whispered quietly.

The silence that followed felt like the inevitable answer she didn't want to acknowledge.

Chapter Text

Once the sound of the battle outside had subsided, Elle waited anxiously for Fragile. She listened to the muffled voices in the cockpit, feeling like a child who had been sent to bed early without dinner. After what felt like hours, she heard footprints coming up the hallway. Looking up at the door, she saw Sam's face looking at her through the porthole, as always his face unreadable. When the door hissed open, he looked down at her sitting on the bed and simply grunted in greeting to her. "Sam," she asked, standing up, "Are you OK?" She wringed her hands together and smiled sheepishly at him. "Next time you decide to disappear like that, at least tell Fragile you're alive," he muttered, "Its been tough for her." She nodded, feeling ashamed. "Three months, Elle. You were gone for three months. We all thought he'd got you first on his revenge crusade." She was about to sputter out a defense, tell him Higgs would never have hurt her, but how do you tell someone "Its OK, he wouldn't hurt me but he's got big plans for how he'll hurt you and my sister"???

But Sam didn't wait to listen, turning to walk out of the room, stepping aside for Fragile to enter. Her sister looked at her, her expression difficult to read as she hit the door release on the wall, letting it slide shut behind her. Fragile paced the room in silence for a few moments, Elle sitting back down on the bed, watching her nervously. She half expected Fragile to smack her face with the back of her hand, but instead, she finally threw herself down on the bed next to Elle, arms around her and pulling her close. "Don't ever do that to me again," she whispered through tears, "Don't ever leave and not tell me where you are. We're sisters, no matter what, we keep each other in the loop." Elle wanted so badly to hug her back, but that last line didn't sit right with her. She gently pushed Fragile away, her turn to stand up now as she turned to face her sister. "Are you even allowed to say that to me?" Elle asked, voice exhausted with everything that had happened recently, "Or is it only you who gets to demand trust and respect?" Fragile waved her hand at Elle, "Look, I don't want to fight..."

"And neither do I, but you gave me no choice, Fragile!" Elle cut her off, "I have no energy to keep going over what you did wrong, but I also don't want to just say 'its OK' because its not. He... He's the way he is now because you left him there." The silence stretched out between them before Fragile sniffed tearfully. "I know," she whispered, "I know that, Elle. And I'm sorry. I can't go back and change it." Elle rubbed her face roughly with her knuckles. "Honestly, Fragile, I would have rather you killed him than what you've done," she whispered, "If you didn't want to bring him back you should have just put him out of his misery. He has wandered that beach, alone, for tens of thousands of years with no one but his own, warped, mind to keep him company. He had visions of me laughing at him with his uncle." A tear fell down her face and Fragile winced, remembering when Elle had confided in her after Higgs had told her what his uncle had done to him as a child. "I thought our beaches would be happy places, filled with joy and the people we loved, where we go to rest, but Higgs' beach... it was just an outward manifestation of this twisted nature he has now, and he has plotted revenge. He's trying to come up with a way to bring about the last stranding again." Fragile wiped her eyes and shook her head. "You went to his beach?" she asked, disbelief in her voice marred with judgement, "Is that where you were all this time?" Elle scowled at her then. "Don't take that tone," she snapped, "I had to see him, I had to know for sure that he was really there." Fragile snorted. "So whilst we've all been here, working hard, trying to connect the continent, you've been shacking up with your demon boyfriend?"

"Get out," Elle said quietly, pointing at the door, raising her voice when Fragile looked at her with shock, "Just get out. I came back to warn you, to tell you I'll stand by your side against him if I have to, I didn't come here for judgement." Fragile stood up and laughed incredulously. "So I should hope, considering he killed Lou," she snapped. Elle grabbed her arm, knowing that despite anything going on between them, she had to tell her what Higgs had said. Fragile tried to shove her arm off, but Elle pulled her back. "He didn't kill Lou," she said, quietly, not wanting to alert Sam. She'd noticed when she came back aboard that he was still carrying the pod around, and didn't want to be insensitive. Fragile looked furious, but Elle held her hand up. "Listen to me," she pleaded, "I'm not trying to defend him, Fragile, he originally came to Sam's shelter to kill Sam, and wanted to kill you, too. He said, when he caught up with you, you tried to jump, you and Lou disappeared, then you reappeared, but Lou wasn't with you. Are you sure you didn't send her somewhere?" Fragile frowned and shook her head. "I don't understand you," she hissed, "How can you not see, he killed her. I can't believe you're making excuses for him when he killed a fucking baby!" Elle groaned. "Fragile, he didn't kill her," she hissed, "Even you don't really remember what happened, what if you sent her to a beach?"

"Well if she's on a beach, all alone with no one to care for her, she's going to be dead, isn't she? So he still killed her because that wouldn't have happened if he wasn't there!" Fragile yelled back. "Keep your fucking voice down," Elle snapped, "Fragile, don't you remember Sam said that Higgs told him that he 'doesn't know a god damn thing about Lou'?" Elle whispered. Fragile sighed, and shook her head. "She's dead, Elle," Fragile whispered, "And you need to decide who's side you're on."

"I already said, I'm on your side," Elle said, "I made him bring me back... And besides, who is the new girl? How did she defeat him?" Fragile exhaled slowly, and sat back down on the bed, gesturing for Elle to sit beside her. "I named her Tomorrow," Fragile started, and she explained to Elle how Sam had been pulled through a wall of tar into some 'nightmare realm' where he'd fought against armed assailants who seemd to be trying to protect something. Once he'd defeated the leader of the group, who they'd deduced to be a man named Neil Vana, Sam had found the girl, wrapped in a chrysalis of sorts. She'd been mostly silent for a while, but with Rainy's help, Fragile had got her talking more. She had extremely powerful DOOMS, was able to use a strong connection to the beach to damage enemies. She'd escaped from the ship one time and when Sam had followed her, she had taken out an entire batallion of ghost mechs all by herself. "Did you see the way Higgs looked at her?" Fragile whispered, remembering the way he had held her face in his hands like she was the most precious jewel he'd ever seen. Elle nodded. What had he seen in the girl?

"Elle," Fragile whispered again, "I am sorry." Elle felt tears in her eyes as she reached out and grabbed Fragile's hand, neither of them looking at each other due to the shame they both felt for their behaviours towards one another. "I know," she responded, "I know. And so am I." They sat there beside each other for a while, quietly, until Fragile finally spoke again. "I'll... I'll let you rest, I'm sure you're tired," she said, standing up, "Rainy, Tomorrow and I are going to head out to get some supplies tomorrow from a few preppers, if you'd like to come? Rainy has been asking about you, and Tomorrow wants to meet you properly too, offer her apologies for breaking your boyfriend." Elle smirked at that last part. "That would be great," she smiled. Fragile left her alone then, and she sank back on the bed, knowing that sleep would not come to her easily, but she closed her eyes all the same.

The next morning, Elle jumped awake to the sound of the loud morning alarm blasting through the Magellan. She didn't know how much sleep she'd gotten, but it certainly wasn't enough. She rolled off of her bed and went to her door, peeking out to see if anyone was in the bathroom. When she saw it empty, she quickly stepped out and made her way down the corridor, nothing the smell of smoke and the crackling of wires sparking around the ship. It was really damaged after the battle, and she hadn't even asked what had gone on last night. When she stepped out into the main hall to cross to the bathroom, she noticed the floor and stairwell were lined with apples in various states of decay, and made a mental note to ask someone what that was all about. She showered, realising that she hadn't had a proper wash in months, other than soaking in the black sea of Higgs' beach. She rinsed her hair, feeling it go from crunchy and salt burned to soft and silky again under the clean water. She rubbed soap into her body and shampoo and conditioner into her hair, then stood back for the cubicle to blow dry her. When she opened the cubicle door, towel wrapped around her, she saw Fragile was there. "Brought you some new clothes," she smiled, holding out the Drawbridge uniform, "Or would you prefer I fabricated your suit and visor?" Elle shrugged. "Honestly, this will do," she smiled taking the clothes and stepping back into the cubicle to dress. She stepped back out, in the black cargo pants and boots, white vest and bright orange jacket, hair hanging loose down her back like a dark silk curtain, significantly longer than it had been before. Fragile smiled at her and pulled her into an embrace. "We're heading out in about half an hour, head to the control room, Tarman's just made a fresh batch of coffee."

In the control room, she stepped in sheepishly, Sam, Tarman and Heartman already sitting in their seats, waking up for the day. "Elle," Heartman smiled, standing to greet her, "Its good to see you again." She smiled back at him and nodded. "You too, Heartman, I'm sorry I wasn't here to welcome you on board." He bowed his head and smiled again, "You're here now, and that's all that matters." She turned to look at Tarman, who was watching her closely. "Elle," he said curtly, nodding to her in greeting. "Tarman, I'm sorry about the ship, I didn't-"

"Was it you who summoned that ghost mech?" Tarman asked, voice calm, clearly a rhetorical question, but she shook her head nonetheless, "That's what I thought. Don't go around apologising for things you didn't do. It's good to have you back on board." She couldn't believe they were all being so polite to her. She had prepared herself to be ignored for the remainder of the journey to connect the continent and couldn't help but breath a sigh of relief. She finally looked to Sam, noticing the cuts on his face and hands. "It's OK," he said, anticipating the words to come out of her next, "Like they said, you being here is apology enough." She nodded, turning to sit in one of the free chairs, and Tarman rose to hand her a cup of coffee.

"Ah, Tomorrow," came Heartman's voice suddenly, and Elle turned to look at the girl as she walked in, wearing her orange Drawbridge jacket with white shorts and white plimsolls. She immediately looked at Elle and smiled. "It's good to meet you," Tomorrow said, walking to sit by Elle, "Fragile has told me so much about you, and I have been reading all of the stories about you, or, Glassveil, on the Social Strand... I feel like I'm meeting someone famous!" Elle smiled, cheeks flushing red. "Oh, yes, Elle is quite the celebrity back in the UCA," came Dollman's voice as he swung around the ceiling, "Which reminds me, will you sign something for me, oh legendary Glassveil?" Elle flushed even more, reaching up to gently swat at Dollman. "Oh my god, finally!" came Rainy's sweet, gentle voice from the stairs. She stepped into the room, her swollen belly popping out from her Drawbridge jacket, a huge smile on her face, "I didn't get to say hello last night!" Elle jumped up to meet her and they hugged, tightly. When they separated, Rainy put her hands on either side of Elle's face. "I've missed you so much girly," she smiled, "It's really great that you're back."

The group sat around chatting for a while, laughing together, and Elle realised how much she'd missed this community. But whilst this was great, she couldn't help a piece of her heart being stuck on that beach. She couldn't stop thinking about how she'd left him alone again. She'd chosen, and she hadn't chosen Higgs. The guilt was almost unbearable, and she stood to leave the room, making her excuses. "Elle!" came Dollman's voice. She turned to look up at him. "Can you take me with you? I just wanted a quick chat." She nodded, and reached up to unhook him, sitting him on her shoulder. "Lets head to your private room, so we can have a little privacy," he said, gently. Once they arrived, she sat him on the shelf across from her bed and he looked down at her. "How are you feeling?" he asked, after a beat of silence. She shrugged, "I'm fine." A further moment of silence before Dollman responded. "No, you're not," he said kindly, "Tell me, how are you feeling?" She took a deep, shaky breath, knowing that she could open up to him but feeling like she just couldn't push the words off her tongue. "I... I feel guilty," she whispered, "I feel like I'm failing everyone I love." Dollman nodded. "How so?" he asked.

"I feel like I'm failing Higgs because I love him, and he's so lonely on that beach, and he was stuck there for so long by himself, and I know... I know he's there because of his own actions and choices he made but I can't stop thinking that there could still be a chance to... I don't know, to help him see where he was wrong and to get him back... and I feel like I'm failing everyone here because I know I can't just let him go, I can't forget about him, I can't give him up because he's a part of me, and I just feel so guilty." She took a deep breath, catching her breath and wiping the tears from her eyes. Dollman made a sound that conveyed sympathy. "I understand," he replied, smiling as she looked up in shock, "I do understand. Of course you cannot cast aside someone that you love, whether that's Higgs or Fragile. And I don't think anyone here begrudges that you love him. It is not something you can just switch off, Elle." She shook her head and drew her knees up to her chin. "But I should be able to," she protested, "He's trying to kill my sister and Sam, he wants to end the world, he's the reason Lou has disappeared... How can I love someone like that?" Dollman sighed, "You're a person, Elle. That's how."

She stood up, pacing the room, her emotions all over the place. "That's not enough," she snapped, throat tightening. She wanted him to condemn her, to shake her out of this twisted devotion. "I want you to tell me its wrong. That I need to stop loving him. That he's a monster and he's never going to change and I should hate him." She turned to look at him expectantly, waiting for him to speak. He simply observed her, and then asked, "If I said that to you, how would you feel? Would you believe me if I told you he was incapable of change?" Elle faltered, mouth opening, then closing again. Her heart dropped because she knew the answer. "No," she whispered, sinking back onto her bed. "Then what would be the point of me saying untruths to you?" he continued, his voice kind and almost fatherly, "It would be fantastic if there was a kill switch for our emotions and feelings, but there isn't. It doesn't matter if the world calls Higgs a monster, a villain, evil - you love the man beneath all that. And love doesn't evaporate because of logic or morality. It lingers, sometimes painfully so." She pressed the heels of her hands into her eyes. "Then what am I supposed to do? The crew all think I'm an idiot for going back to him over and over again, they can't trust me."

"Elle," Dollman said, waiting for her to calm down and look up at him, "I can tell you with absolute certainty that none of us think you are an idiot, and we absolutely trust you. We all know you would not do anything to put us in danger, and we know that you're simply someone who loves someone. And its plain to see that you're carrying guilt. Not just for loving Higgs, for feeling like you're betraying those around you, but for feeling like you're leaving him in the past. That guilt is heavy, but it isn't truth. It just tells you that you care, and that's not a weakness." Elle felt the tears starting to tip over her lashes. "How do I move forward though?" she asked, "I know I'm going to have to choose eventually, and that I can't choose him. How to I stop from being destroyed again, when I lose him all over again? How am I going to look at his face when I don't choose him, and have that image of my final betrayal etched on his face stuck in my mind forever?" Dollman leaned forward slightly. "By accepting it," he answered, "You love Higgs, thats your truth. But that doesn't mean you have to condone what he's done, or follow him down the path he's chosen. You wouldn't be betraying him if you didn't follow him. You can hold both things in your heart: your love for him, and your responsibility to this crew, to your sister, and to yourself." Her breath hitched, and something in his words erased a fraction of the knot inside her. "Ypu don't have to choose between them today," Dollman finished softly, "What you must do now is forgive yourself for feeling what you feel. Only then can you decide where to go next."

The door hissed open then, and Rainy popped her head in. "Ready to go?" she asked, smiling at Elle. Elle nodded, reaching up to gently lift Dollman down from the shelf, mouthing a quiet thank you to him as she followed Rainy out of the room. After she left Dollman in the control room, she stepped into the elevator with Rainy, and they travelled down to the hangar together, where Fragile was waiting with a pick up truck, Tomorrow already sitting in the bed. "Do you want to ride shotgun, next to me?" Fragile asked, pointing to the passenger seat of the off-roader. Elle nodded, smiling as she made her way to the front of the truck, nodding at Sam as he stepped out of the elevator. Rainy climbed up into the truck bed with Tomorrow, the two of them sitting side by side behind Elle. "Alright, be safe out there," Sam said, following Fragile to the front of the truck as she climbed into the driver's seat, "What if you run into trouble on the way?" Fragile smirked, looking at Elle. "We'll be fine," she said, "Remember, you're talking to the former head of Fragile Express and the legendary Glassveil." Elle rolled her eyes and laughed. "Will you two be alright?" Sam asked, walking to the back of the truck to see Tomorrow and Rainy. "We all have DOOMS, no need to worry about us," Rainy said. "And, we're tougher than you," Tomorrow laughed. "Right," Rainy smiled, "So watch yourself out there." Sam smiled and nodded, patting the side of the truck as he told them to take care of each other. Fragile made her last checks on the truck before pulling out of the hangar, and off they drove, into the snow. Elle looked around, spotting the bits and pieces of the giant ghost mech that hadn't sunk into the tar, the damage to the Magellan, and shivered. Fragile caught the look on her face. "I want you to know," she said, loud enough that Elle could hear her over the truck engine, but quiet enough that it was just between the sisters, "I don't judge you for loving him. I admire you for it. It must be real if you love him as much as you do, despite everything. But as your sister, I have to tell you, you deserve better."

***

The girls had been out a few days, collecting materials to go towards fixing the Magellan, but had had to stop for the night, fabricating a safe house to stay in as the timefall dropped harder and harder, and Elle sensed heavy BT activity in the area. Once the safe house build was complete, they'd all clambered in, squeezing into the cramped space. The storm outside roared live a living thing, timefall pattering against the walls. The four of them made themselves comfortable, sitting in a circle on the floor, Rainy sitting cross legged and cradling her bump, Tomorrow with her knees pulled up to her chin, Fragile laid back, propped up by her arms, and Elle laid on her side, head resting on her hand. Rainy's eyes lit up with mischief. "So, Elle," she said, leaning in with an exaggerated seriousness, "The way the Social Strand gossip sites talk about you, you're basically a superhero in a hood." Elle laughed and shook her head, cheeks flushing slightly. Rainy continued, "Is it true you took down a whole MULE camp with your bare hands?" Elle nodded, smiling. "What about the one where you carried a porter AND his cargo on your back across a BT infested river?" That one was false. "Although I did help him cross the river - he couldn't swim and chose the deepest section to cross and nearly got swept away. No idea how that turned into me carrying him on my back?" Elle snorted. They all laughed together, and then Tomorrow stopped, looking at Elle with a more serious expression. "Elle, what's it like?" she asked, a faraway look in her eye, "To be in love?"

Elle blinked, startled. Her gaze immediately flicked to Fragile, expecting disapproval. But her sister only shrugged, raising her eyebrows as if to say 'Don't look at me, I want to know too.' Elle took a deep breath, struggling to find the right words. But then they tumbled out of her. "It's... terrifying," she said, "But also wonderful. In the beginning, with Higgs... he wasn't... he wasn't what he has become. He was funny, he was warm. We'd go out on deliveries and waste hours just stopping to look at the sky. He'd make stupid jokes to make me laugh. And everytime he looked at me it made me feel like I was the only person who existed to him... It felt like coming home and being set on fire at the same time." Tomorrow's lips parted, lost for words, and Rainy leaned forward chin propped in her hands. Fragile looked sad, but then twisted her mouth into an amused smile. "I remember that last delivery you did together when he was shadowing you," she said, "When you said you thought you might love him, and you were going back to the private room to tell him... I never heard back from you till the next morning and all you would do would tell me that you definitely loved him, and how he'd kissed you." Elle groaned, burying her face in her hands. "You remember that?" she mumbled. "Oh, I remember every mortifying detail," Fragile smirked, clearly enjoying herself now, "Especially how you described your first night together."

Tomorrow and Rainy both gasped dramatically. "Wait, wait, wait," Rainy said, eyes gleaming, "You told her all the details? Like... details details?" Fragile's smirk widened, "Oh, she was graphic!" Elle's face was scarlet, but Tomorrow's pleading eyes and Rainy's delighted grin were too much. The air in the safehouse was warm with laughter and curiosity and maybe it was the storm outside, or maybe it was the rare safety of being with just the women, no duties, no pretense, but Elle let herself cave. "Its rare, you know," she said, voice dropping to something more confessional, "People don't... get close like that much anymore. Its dangerous and scary, being intimate, giving yourself to someone. But with him..." she swallowed, "it was like touching the edge of something forbidden. Everything felt heightened. His hands, his breath, the way he-" Tomorrow squeaked, covering her mouth, cheeks pink. Rainy leaned forward eagerly, "Don't you dare stop there" she hissed. Elle laughed nervously, heat rushing through her. "You're all terrible. But fine, it was... addictive. Like every time he touched me, I'd always need more. And the way he looed at me, like I was both prey and treaure..."

Fragile rolled her eyes, though her lips curled into the faintest grin. "You're lucky these two weren't around back then, or you'd have been telling the whole world." They all laughed again, and then Tomorrow, wide eyed, continued asking questions. "So... is it really like the stories? That kind of closeness?" she asked, genuinely curious. Elle hesitated only a second, then gave a small nod. "It's better," she smiled, which was met with squeals of delight, "Its like your body doesn't belong to you anymore, and you don't even care." Rainy gave an exaggerated sigh and let herself fall to lay on her back. Tomorrow smirked and hugged her knees close, and Fragile grinned at Elle, who could feel the heat creeping higher in her cheeks, sensing the expecation for her to keep talking. Tomorrow's eyes were like saucers, Rainy was grinning like a devil from her position sprawled on the floor, and even Fragile looked more curious than judgemental. Elle drew in a slow breath, then let her gaze travel around the room at their expectant faces, before shaking her head with a sly smile. "That's all you're getting," she said, lifting her chin, "The rest of it, that's for me and Higgs to know and for you three to never find out." Rainy groaned loudly, "You cannot leave us hanging like that!" Tomorrow pouted and crossed her arms in mock disappointment. Fragile let out a laugh, "Finally, some peace on the love talk." Tomorrow smirked at that. "Oh come on, Fragile, we've all seen how you and Sam look at each other"

Elle's head spun round to look at Fragile so fast, it was a wonder it didn't roll off her neck with the force. "WHAT?" she screamed. Rainy nodded, eyes widening again. "Oh yeah," she smirked, "The yearning has been off the charts while you've been away, Elle." Fragile froze, her posture tightening in a way that Elle knew meant she was caught off guard. "Don't start," she muttered, waving her hand dismissively. But Elle was already grinning like a cat that got the cream. "Fragile, you mean to say I've been baring my soul about Higgs and all this time you've been making eyes at Sam?" she laughed, "No way are you escaping from this, you cannot get away without telling us anything." Fragile dropped her hand, exhaling like she'd resigned herself to the firing squad. Her cheels were tinged pink, though she tried to hold her usual cool expression. "Alright fine," she said, her voice low but steady, "Yes, Sam and I... there's something there. But there's nothing juicy to tell, so don't get your hopes up." Elle smiled, genuinely, at her sister and nodded her approval. "And here we all thought Elle was the only one hopeless enough to fall for a complicated man," Rainy smirked. The safehouse echoed with their laughter, before Rainy turned it back to Elle. "So come on, we want more details seeing as you're willing to share," she said, staring expectantly. Elle grinned but shook her head. "Sorry, but some things... they're not for anyone else. They're mine, and I'm keeping them." Rainy and Tomorrow let out dramatic "awwww" sounds, and Fragile smiled.

The giggles lingered long after the teasing faded, settling into little sighs and smiles as the storm outside beat a heavy rhythm against the roof of the safehouse. Eventually, the chatter dwindled into a companionable silence, all of them tired and ready to sleep. They all started to doze off where they laid on the floor, and Elle was grateful for a few hours of peaceful slumber, no matter how fleeting.

She jolted awake suddenly, the sound of the storm still pounding the roof, but with a sense of dread in the pit of her stomach. He was here. Higgs was somewhere nearby, and she had a sickening feeling. How was she sensing him? Did she have a new connection with him since visiting his beach? "What's wrong?" Fragile asked, sleep making her voice croak. "Sam's in trouble," Elle whispered, "I can sense Higgs - he's going to find Sam... where would Sam be right now?" Fragile looked panicked as she tried to think. They couldn't contact the Magellan, or Sam, because of the systems being down, but Fragile pulled up her ring terminal, checking the routes Sam should have been taking. "If I had to guess, I'd say he was on his way to the Southern Environmental Observatory," Fragile said shakily. Elle nodded, jumping up and pulling on clothes. "What are you doing?" Fragile asked. "I'm going to help Sam, I'm taking the truck." They weren't too far from the observatory, and Elle reckoned that she could get there within an hour if she moved fast. "You bring them with you, try and bring the Magellan if you can," she said, walking to the elevator to get outside, "We need to get to Sam as fast as we can." She didn't wait to hear Fragile's response, leaving her looking confused.

***

As she sped across the land, Elle was praying to whoever was listening for Sam's safety. He was alone, vulnerable, with no way of calling for help. And when she saw the observatory looming in the distance, she already knew she was too late. She could see Higgs, holding his battle guitar, and something burning on the floor beside him. No, not something... someone. Sam. It dawned on Elle then that Sam was a repatriate... was Higgs burning him alive over and over again? She felt sick, and when she pulled up in the courtyard of the observatory, she could hear Higgs was singing to Sam, some song that sounded like a lullaby. She watched as Sam collapsed, dead, the flames going out, but then when he repatriated, the flames engulfed him again.

"Stop it!" Elle screamed, rushing forward, "Make it stop!" Higgs looked shocked to see her. She was horrified by the scene. The smell of burning flesh, acrid, suffocating. The sight of Sam, crawling and thrashing on the ground, his body covered in the flames that clung to him too perfectly, too cruelly to be natural fire. His screams tore out of his raw throat, before choking off into silence. And then in a blink he was back, whole again, the flames immediately igniting to beging the horrors again. Higgs stood nearby, watching with the air of a man savouring fine wine. Each time Sam collapsed, only to claw his way back, Higgs' grin widened. "Beautiful, ain't it," he drawled, voice lazy, thick with pleasure, "The way he just keeps comin' back. Like a moth that don't know the flame's meant to kill him. Over, and over, and over..." She rushed forward, slamming her hands into Higgs' chest. "Stop this now!" she pleaded, "Please stop, he doesn't deserve this." Higgs looked down at her. smirking at what she thought was force behind her hands yet barely felt like a tickle to him. "You know he left me to rot on that beach, I didn't get any mercy, did I?" Higgs smirked, "Ain't nothin' fairer than this." Elle's vision blurred with tears, her chest heaving. She couldn't bear the sound of Sam's cries, and she had no idea how to make it stop. "You're not avenging yourself, by doing this," she sobbed, "Does your depravity know no bounds?" Before Higgs could respond, the sound of an engine in the distance distracted them both. They turned to see Fragile speeding towards them on a new monobike, Tomorrow perched on the back. Elle watched in awe as Tomorrow leapt through the air, diving underground before erupting out of the tar, hair stained black, and lurching at Higgs.

The pair of them fought, Tomorrow mercilessly beating Higgs. Elle couldn't believe what she was seeing. "Elle! Sam!" Fragile screamed, coming to crouch in front of Sam. "What did he do to him?" she gasped, hands desperate to touch Sam so he knew they were there, but the flames were white hot and they couldn't touch. "Fragile, we need to do something fast, we can't leave him like this." Elle turned to look at the fight, and saw Higgs pull a chunk of Tomorrow's hair from her head, seconds later the Magellan rose from the tar, firing at him with mortar shots that allowed Tomorrow to move back. Elle watched as Higgs sniffed the chunk of hair in his hands. "Catch ya later," he said, winking at Tomorrow, before glancing over at Elle. She glared back at him, and she saw a flash of shame on his face before he disappeared.

Tomorrow immediately ran over, placing her hands on Sam. Her DOOMS allowed her to speed up time, but all it did was make Sam burn faster. Timefall began to fall then, but Elle noticed it wasn't burning their skin, wasn't aging them. When she looked up, she saw Rainy standing there. Her rain was able to reverse timefall damage, and it could quell fires apparently. They sat around Sam, holding hands, watching as the flames subsided and he was finally able to breath. He looked up at them all, one by one, first Tomorrow, then Rainy, then Elle, and finally his eyes settled on Fragile, and they shared a long look that said "I thought I was going to lose you." Elle and Rainy exchanged a knowing glance of both relief and acknowledgement that there really was something between Fragile and Sam. Sam then reached out his arms, gesturing for the four women to embrace him, and they all wrapped their arms around each other. The healing power of love really was as strong as they say.

***

The dream took him again.

Elle, being dragged away from him by Fragile's cold grip, Sam's self-righteous hands. He saw them pulling her away from him, back to their bubble, worlds away from Higgs' own cage, and his chest cracked with rage. He tore Fragile and Sam to shreds in his mind, ripping them limb from limb and leaving the remains to sink. The tar swallowed their screams and their blood and their judgement. Silence fell, and then he had her to himself. Elle stood alone on the burning beach, hair wild in the red gale, eyes wet with unshed tears. He reached for her, trembling, and this time she didn't pull away. "Mine," Higgs breathed, voice breaking. His hand closed around hers and fire rippled out across the sand, flames swalling the horizon, licking the clothes clean off their bodies.

He kissed her like a man drowning who finally broke the surface for air. She gasped, giving in to him, opening her mouth so their tongues could slide against one another. His cock ached, heavy and straining, searching for its destination. Her breasts rose with every desperate breath, nipples tightening under the sear of the firelight as the world burned around them.

The sky bled, BTs screamed, and the sounds of millions of souls dying in the distance was the backing track to their passion. He pushed her down onto the sand, grinding between her thighs, biting her neck until he tasted blood, and she moaned in response. "You'll stay with me," he snarled into her ear as he forced his fingers inside her, wet heat clenching around him, making him groan with want. "Through the end, through the fire, you'll be my Eve while the rest of them choke on ash."

She writhed, sobbing his name, and he flipped her onto her stomach, pushing into her from behind, thrusts savage and merciless. Her screams of pleasure echoed against the inferno, intertwined with the screams of fear, pain, suffering of a humanity that didn't deserve to keep on living. He grabbed at her hips, slamming deeper, moaning her name as though it was a mantra. And then it began.

Her skin shuddered beneath his hands, dark veins spreading like cracks in porcelain. Tar bubbled up through her pores, streaking down her arms, her throat, her breasts. Her hair lifting in the heat, strands twisting like tendrils of smoke. "Yeeeees," Higgs groaned, pounding into her harder as her body warped under him. "Thats it baby, let it in, be what I made you."

Her nails dug furrows into the sand, bleeding tar instead of blood. Her eyes burned gold, then black, and when she turned to look at him fucking her, she had golden chiral tears leaking from her eyes, her lips gold with chiral dust, mouth stretching into a twisted grin that mirrored his own, and he saw himself in her face. "I'm yours," she moaned, voice layered, monstrous, beautiful, "Yours until the end."

The sight of her breaking, reshaping, becoming him, pushed him over the edge. He fisted her hair, pulling her up on her knees, his chest pressing into her back so he could bite into her shoulder, tasting tar and flesh, and came inside her with a guttural roar, his seed spilling deeply into her. Her body convulsed, black veins pulsing in rhythm, dragging him deeper until he thought he might never escape.

Around them, the beach split apart, oceans boiled, the sky bled fire. Their shadows writhed together in monstrous shapes. And Elle - his Elle - arched against him, tar pouring from her mouth as she moaned his name, climaxing with him as the world crumbled to dust. When he collapsed against her back, panting, trembling, she turned to him, no longer his sweet, innocent Elle, but something darker, something eternal. Her golden lips kissed his cheek, his jaw, and finally his mouth.

"End it all, Higgs," she purred, black ichor dripping from her tongue into his mouth, "With me at your side, we'll rebuild this world in our image."

"NO," he screamed, shuddering awake on the sand, heart hammering. The dream burned behind his eyes, the sight of Elle transformed into a monster, the last woman in the world, writhing beneath him as her skin split, birthing a version of her that was too close to what he had become. He pressed a trembling hand to his mouth. The taste of her was still there - tar, ash, blood. He wanted to retch. Because in the dream, he had loved it. Every second of it. Her breaking, twisting, moaning for him as the world burned. He'd wanted it more than anything, and he could still feel the ache of his orgasm pulsing through his body. "Christ..." his voice cracked, low and ragged. He dragged both hands over his face, smearing sweat through the stubble along his jaw. He shouldn't have wanted that, and the shame he felt made tears prick the backs of his eyes.

He'd fallen in love with Elle because she was light personified. She'd always been a voice of reason for him, never saw him as just a monster, although he'd seen a spark of despair when she'd caught him burning Sam. But even after everything, after the bombs, after Amelie, after seeing what he'd become, he still clung to that tiny, stubborn faith she had in him, relentlessly trying to beat down the walls he put up. And if she ever gave in, if she ever sank into the dark with him... she wouldn't be his Elle anymore. That realisation hit him harder than a brick. His chest ached with it. "Does your depravity know no bounds?" he asked himself, mirroring her earlier words at the observatory. "Fuck," he whispered into the dark, hating himself for what his own mind had conjured up.

He curled onto his side, clutching his knees to his chest like he would as a little boy, sleeping on the floor of his uncle's bunker, trying to shut out the images. Elle's face, painted with the same makeup as his robot vessel. The gold streaked eyes and gold lips smiling down at him, dead behind the eyes. Her voice whispering "End it all, Higgs."

If that day ever came, if she ever stopped fighting, if she ever became the monster he dreamed of, then he would know he had truly lost her. Not to Fragile. Not to Sam. But to himself. And that thought terrified him more than eternal loneliness ever could.

He vowed that he would do everything in his power to turn her away from him, no matter how painful it was.

Chapter Text

The days that followed were difficult for the entire crew. Everyone was affected by what Higgs had done to Sam. None of them could comprehend what Sam had gone through, and they all had sleepless nights trying to unpack the traumatic experience he'd been through, trying to relate in some way... but how do you relate to someone being burned alive over and over again, with no end, that could have gone on for an eternity had no one managed to save him? Elle felt hollow, struggling to understand how that man she'd spent so much time loving, who had been kind and caring and loving, who would point out bird footprints in the soil because they looked nice, or who would clean her boots for her when she was too tired to do it herself, or who would always be late returning from deliveries because he stayed back to help an elderly prepper tidy her home before he headed back to base. She couldn't help but feel partially responsible for what happened. Higgs had always felt like an extension of herself, like a part of her. Everything he did, she felt like she should have been able to stop it from even happening in the first place. The guilt was eating her alive almost as much as the pain she felt at having to lose him again. She so desperately wanted it to be as easy as grabbing him by the shoulders and violently shaking him until the rot fell out of his head, and all that was left was her sweet, gentle Higgs. But she was living in a fairytale. Nothing was easy, not in this world. Was this their punishment? For both being stupid enough to think you could love in this world?

Sam lay in his cot, chest rising and falling in restless rhythm. Sweat beaded on his skin, even in sleep, fists clenching every now and then with phantom pain, but miraculously, there wasn't a mark on him. Rainy's corefall had reversed any burn damage and healed him completely, but all everyone could worry about was damage inside his mind. How do you survive that level of torture? A tray of untouched food sat on the desk, forgotten. He hadn't spoken a word since they'd dragged him back aboard the Magellan, just staggered, broken and hollow eyed into his room before collapsing. Now, behind the porthole of the door to his room, Elle and Fragile stood shoulder to shoulder, watching him. Neither of them spoke for a long time, the hum of the ship and the sound of the new weaponry being installed to the roof filling the silence. Finally, Elle's voice cracked through the silence, quiet and trembling. "I can't believe he could do that to Sam," she whispered, eyes fixed on him, her breath hitching, "To make him burn... again and again, calling it... beautiful... knowing he'd just keep coming back... That's not revenge, Fragile, thats..." she stopped, pressing a hand to her mouth as her stomach twisting. Fragile's jaw tightened, her reflection in the glass looking older than she did a few hours ago. "Its worse than anything I've ever seen him do, and I thought I'd already seen the worst," she crossed her arms, the motion brittle, defensive, "If we hadn't gotten there when we did..." She let the sentence trail off, unwilling to put words to the vision that haunted them both. Elle swallowed hard, her hands curling into fists at her sides. "Where would Sam be right now?" she asked, her voice wavering, "How long would Higgs have kept him in that loop before he... broke? Before there was nothing left?" Fragile glanced at her, sharp eyed and stricken. "That's the part that disturbs me the most," she whispered, "He wasn't just trying to kill him, he wanted to unmake him. Piece by piece."

Elle pressed her forehead against the cool metal of the door frame, closing her eyes. "That's not the man I fell in love with. Not the Higgs I remember," her breath shook as she tried to hold herself together, "And if this is who he is now... maybe he's already dead." Fragile didn't answer right away. Instead, she reached out and squeezed Elle's arm, grounding her in the silence. Both of them turned their eyes back to Sam, his face pinched even in sleep, his body twitching as if he still felt the fire eating away at his flesh. The silence stretched out again, heavy and oppressive. Finally, Elle's voice broke it, raw and trembling. "Fragile..." she hesitated, her throat tight, then forced it out, "I don't think I can lose him again." Fragile's brow furrowed, and she turned to look at Elle, making a statement, rather than asking, "You mean Higgs." Elle nodded slowly, her arms wrapping around herself as though to stop the words spilling out too fast. "I know what he's done, I know what he's become. But after everything - after finding out he was alive when I thought he wasn't, all those years of imagining him gone... I can't..." her breath hitched, and she blinked hard to keep the tears at bay, "I can't go through that a second time. It nearly killed me before, but this time, if it happens again, it might just finish me off." Fragile took a deep breath. Deep down, she wanted to grab Elle, shake her, knock some sense into her, but instead, she chose the path of understanding. "It wouldn't be like last time," she said, "Because this time you will have all the answers, no one will lie to you or keep you in the dark. But you must see, you have no choice in this, because Higgs has already made it. He's turning to torture, Elle, he's going to come for us all eventually and I know you wouldn't let him do that." Elle sighed and rubbed a rogue tear from her cheek. "But... what if there is still some of him left?" she saw Fragile fight to not roll her eyes, "Fragile, I know I keep saying this, but... I just... I have this guilt. I have this guilt that he wouldn't have been like this if I'd been able to reach him last time, and every time I speak to him it feels like he's still there, like he's trapped in that monster just depserately wanting to be released." Fragile exhaled slowly, shaking her head. "That's the kind of hope that'll break you in the end," she said, "I get it, trust me, I do. But you saw what he did to Sam. You heard him laughing while he burned. That's not a man who wants to be saved."

Elle ran her hands over her face, feeling like she had a dead weight in the bottom of her heart. "I know what I have to do, I know it. But knowing it doesn't make it easier," she said, "I can stand here and tell you I'll fight him, that I'll help stop him..." she held a hand to her chest, voice sinking to a whisper, "But in here, Fragile? I don't think I'll survive losing him again. Even if it means doing the right thing." Fragile's lips parted, but she didn't speak right away. She only placed a steady hand on Elle's trembling shoulder. "Then maybe that's the fight Elle. Not just against him, but against yourself, your guilt." She rubbed her thumb gently on Elle's shoulder, then pulled her into an embrace that she could see she so desperately needed. "Listen," she whispered into her sister's ear, "I'm not going to ask you to kill him. I won't order you to do anything you can't live with. That's not how this works. We'll figure out a way to end this that means you get to have the closure you need, so you can grieve him properly, lay him to rest like you should have been able to do before. I'll do everything in my power to make sure that happens." Elle's face crumpled, tears flowing fast now. "I feel like I'm grieving him already," she sobbed, "I know its right but I feel like you're asking me to step aside so you can kill him and I just... I..." she broke off, unable to speak through the sobs that possessed her body. Fragile let out a long breath, rubbing Elle's back gently, her own expression tightening with pain. "No," she whispered, trying to sound soothing, trying to remember that Dollman had told her she could never truly feel what Elle feels, but had to try and understand, "No I'm just asking you to remember what's at stake, Elle. This isn't just about you and Higgs, or me, or Sam, or any single one of us. It's about everyone. Every last soul that is depending on us to stop the Last Stranding." As she said it, she cursed herself for wondering, if push came to shove, whether Elle would be able to choose the world over Higgs. When Elle didn't respond, Fragile put her hands on her shoulders and held her out at arms length. "I promise you this, Elle. He's already made his choice, and he has not chosen you. There is no shame in not choosing him. And if you can't face losing him again, maybe you should start thinking about how many others you're willing to lose instead." She squeezed her shoulders gently, heart aching at her sisters red, tear stained face. "I'm not your enemy, Elle, I won't tell you who to love or how to feel. But don't forget what we're fighting for. The world need's saving, and if you're here, on this ship, with us, that's got to come first."

The silence between them pressed down, broken only by Sam's uneasy breathing inside his room. Fragile turned to walk away, calling softly over her shoulder that the crew needed to meet in the control room to discuss linking up the last point to get Australia fully connected, and that she'd like her there. Elle nodded, hanging back until she heard Fragile ascend the stairs to the bridge. She looked back at Sam one last time, hand against the glass. "I'm sorry," she whispered, before following Fragile.

"We've extended chiral network coverage all the way to the Southern Environmental Observatory - and its all thanks to Sam," Tarman was saying as Elle entered the bridge, "His injuries have completely healed too. Deadman, by way of Heartman's Ha, said as much after he finished his examination." Right, Elle had forgotten that Heartman and Deadman now shared a connection. It still freaked her out a little, but she was always comforted by hearing Deadman's voice. "Trust me, Fragile," Deadman said, "I'm a doctor, and I know Sam's body better than just about anyone. He's doing fine, no need to worry. Thanks to a healthy dose of Rainy's corefall, he's as good as new - or right as rain as you might say. Even for a repatriate, to die and be resurrected so many times in quick succession... I feared the worst... It's a miracle he made it through!" The team exchanged glances, of relief, concern, but in general, gratitude that Sam was still with them. Tarman sighed though, leaning back in his chair. "I'm sorry to say that the tar currents near the Southern Environmental Observatory are still unstable" he said, "Consequently, we'll need to keep the DHV Magellan here to defend the facility for the time being. All things considered, paving the way to Terminal Fort Knot is a herculean task, and Sam's going to have to dig deep to see it done." Elle cleared her throat then, "I know he can do it, but I'll go with him. He needs the support right now, and I don't want him going alone," she said. Fragile nodded and Tarman smiled. "There's no one better to join him on this task. Thank you, Elle," Tarman said, leaning forward to pat her knee gently.

"Thanks to Tarman and Deadman's efforts, Sam's Ha may have made a full recovery, but the same cannot be said about his Ka," Dollman weighed in, "And this journey was also meant to give Sam's mind an opportunity to heal. Isn't that right, Fragile?" Fragile simply nodded again, and Elle felt her pain. All this time, they had let Sam believe Lou was still in the pod, and Elle felt like she was doing to him what they'd all done to her. She didn't feel like it was revenge, but a kindness. And she had come to understand now why they had lied to her about Higgs. Dollman continued, "Soon we'll have linked up our final objective. This will mark the end of our travels together. Which means the time to have that conversation with Sam is fast approaching. I believe we should tell him sooner rather than later, but what do you all think?" The crew went silent. Nobody wanted to be the one to have to say anything to Sam about this, not wanting to have to break his heart again. "Well.. perhaps I should broach the subject first, hm?" Dollman sighed. Fragile stood, nodding and unhooking Dollman from the ceiling. "I'll take you to his room, you can wait for him to wake and talk with him then." Her shoulders slumped as she carried Dollman out of the room.

***

The atmosphere on the ship changed again after Dollman and Fragile's conversation with Sam. Elle knew Lou wasn't dead, she just knew it, but without any way to prove it, she had to let them break the news to Sam that she was, and that he'd been carrying around an empty pod. He'd struggled to accept it at first, purely because his grief had caused him to hallucinate the little baby in the pod. He'd travelled around Australia talking to her, soothing her when she cried, rocking her after a BT encounter. Elle had found him, fully clothed, in the shower, holding the open pod, crying quietly. She'd wanted to go and sit with him, to try and comfort him, but she imagined he wanted to be alone in his grief and left him there, instead choosing to leave a small note on his bed letting him know she was there for him if he needed to talk. He never took her up on it, but Fragile mentioned in passing that he wasn't really talking about it to anyone.

***

Sam had been out of the ship a while, Tarman noting he'd gone into a wall of tar, and that they were still investigating who this Neil Vana was that had been attacking Sam, in the same place he'd pulled Tomorrow from. "I don't know how much Fragile told you," Tarman said, "But this Neil Vana appears to have been a porter once, had some kind of a relationship with Lucy - the woman Sam lost years ago. But since his last encounter a few days ago, we've learned that Lucy was pregnant with Sam's child. The child of a repatriate was invaluable to Bridges, and Neil had been trying to protect Lucy, Lucy, trying to protect her child. She'd tried to tell Bridges that the baby was Neil's, so they could escape but... they weren't successful." Elle pressed her hands to her eyes sighing sadly. Tarman went to continue, when he suddenly swore under his breath. "No," he hissed, tapping on the ships dashboard, scrolling through the sensors. He hit the alarm on the dashboard, causing the ship to go into emergency mode - red lights flashing, the alarm sounding like a death knell. He picked up the ship mic, shouting over the comms. "There's an army of ghost mechs on our doorstep, standing between us and the last terminal. We need to secure the node. If we lose it, it could cripple the entire network." He exchanged a quick look with Elle and smirked, "You need to get your boyfriend under control," he chuckled, chucking his fist gently on her chin in a fatherly manner. "Don't worry, he'll be firmly in the dog house if he fucks this up for us," Elle said, scowling slightly.

Fragile and Sam came into the control room, closely followed by Rainy and then Tomorrow. Heartman came in close behind, and Charlie rose up from the floor. She had to keep reminding herself that Charlie now had the voice of Die-Hardman, but every time he spoke, it still weirded her out. "Heads up everyone, we're in the endgame now," Charlie said, "No matter what it takes, we have to link up this final network node. I called this mission briefing to ensure we're all on the same page." Elle felt several eyes flick to her then back to Charlie. The map appeared above Charlie's head, and he sank back into the ground to allow space for everyone to see it. "Our objective and its surroundings are defended by a sizeable contingent of ghost mechs. Clearly, they're not gonna make this easy for us." Fragile turned to sit in her captain's chair. "So, here's the plan" she began, "Tarman, you'll helm the DHV Magellan, as always. Rainy, I want you on the radar. Depending on how things go, I may ask you to use your powers too. Heartman, I was hoping you could provide fire support for Sam and Elle, with the ship's cannons. As for you, Tomorrow..." Fragile looked at the girl, not sure where to place her. "You know, she's arguably the best marksman on the ship," Rainy offered, "Which would make her an ideal candidate for the miniguns." Tomorrow looked confused. "Miniguns?" she asked, looking between Rainy and Tarman. Tarman nodded, "The Magellan happens to have two of them mounted up top," he said, "The operator can control them remotely from the bridge. So you wouldn't be in any real danger out there." Rainy stood up, holding the remote minigun out to Tomorrow. "If she's even half as good as she's been in VR, those mechs won't stand a chance, right?" Tomorrow took the gun, still a little unsure. "It's like VR?" she asked, "I can do that." She aimed the minigun at the screen that popped up when she switched it on, and they all heard the guns on the roof moving to follow her direction. She pressed the trigger, and the guns fired, the sound deafening. She turned to wink at Rainy, who smiled back, giving her a thumbs up. Fragile turned to Elle and Sam, looking at them both in their porter suits, Elle choosing not to shield her face anymore, and Fragile nodded proudly, before looking down at Dollman, clipped to Sam's suit. "Dollman, you look after them," she said. "But of course," he responded. Fragile looked back up at Sam. "Sam, you'll be handling delivery. Plot your route as you see fit. Elle, you're there to cover his back, make sure he makes it to each step in one piece, and protect him." Sam and Elle both nodded, Sam turning to Elle to smile at her, grateful that she'd offered to support him, never one to ask for help himself. Heartman cleared his throat. "Be advised, we will only be able to provide fire support within the chiral network," he said, looking over the route down to Terminal Fort Knot, "Outside of it, the canons become inaccurate. Meaning to great a risk of collateral damage." Charlie's voice came over the intercom. "The advance party set up a number of chiral network waystations. We should be able to make use of them. While they were originally used to boost signal strength, they could - once activated - be reconfigured to expand chiral network coverage."

"Which would also allow us to move the ship closer," Tarman said. "Its up to you if you want us on hand to offer fire support, Sam. It's you and Elle who will be down there, so its down to you both, really, to decide what works," Charlie continued. Heartman nodded, "That said, though, if you're too close to the network node when you signal for fire support, we're back in collateral damager territory. Please, bear that in mind." Charlie popped up from the ground again, turning to look at Sam and Elle. "Once we link up this last node, we'll have succeeded in bringing the Australian continent onto the chiral network. Our defenses will be stronger than ever, and we'll be able to get rid of those ghost mechs for good. So... let's do what we came here to do."

"Alright," Sam mumbled, turning towards the lift to the hangar, signalling for Elle to go first. They both stepped into the lift, but Fragile followed them. "Wait," she called out, looking first at Sam. "Don't forget, coming on this expedition was meant to help you find the strength to carry on. And you have. And you," she looked at Elle, "I'm proud of you. You have no idea how proud I am, that I get to call you my sister. Your selflessness in taking on this task makes you a credit to this crew." Elle and Sam both stepped forward, wanting to say something back to Fragile, but the lift doors hissed shut, leaving words unspoken. They glanced sideways at each other. "Look," Sam mumbled, "She's right. Don't know how you're doing this, fighting when its someone you love. If the tables were turned, I don't know how I'd survive this." Elle sighed, "Well, I haven't survived it yet."

When they reached the hangar, the ramp opened up to reveal the darkness outside, illuminated by fires all along the path ahead. They could see the bridge to Terminal Fort Knot in the distance, but it felt like it was millions of miles away. They could see the lights of the ghost mechs patrolling the path in the distance, the flames glinting off of their red armour. "You ready?" Sam asked, nudging Elle with his elbow. She took a deep breath. "Ready," she nodded.

They pulled a tri-cruiser out of the garage, Elle taking the driver seat, Sam hopping onto the back, and sped down the path, the cruiser bumping over rocks and uneven terrain, both of them tense, waiting for an ambush. "There," Sam called out, pointing to the network node ahead, tall with a red light beaming on top through the smoke. Elle skidded the tri-cruiser to a halt next to the node and Sam jumped down to get to work on connecting it. Elle stepped off the cruiser, pulling her rifle out, ready to defend Sam.

They came in droves, rising from the tar one after another after another. The humanoid mechs game first, rushing at her, trying to disarm Sam, but she managed to keep them at bay, jumping around the area, knocking them out quickly. Then the dog mines started rushing out, exploding closer and closer to the cruiser, to the node, to Sam. And finally, the bigger ones came out, the ones with coffins on their backs. "Knock the coffins off!" Sam shouted, aiming his gun at the coffin on the back of one of the mechs. When the coffin exploded, it was left vulnerable, easier to disable. The node had been connected, so they moved away from it, Sam signalling for the Magellan, which rose from the Tar above them on the cliffside, raining down canon fire and minigun bullets, helping to wipe out the hoard that had gathered, with Sam and Elle fighting on the ground. Once the area was cleared, the pair of them jumped back onto the tri-cruiser. "Not sure how much longer this thing is going to last," Elle shouted, feeling the body of the cruiser juddering under them as they sped down the hillside. More ghost mechs started to rise up around them as they moved down the hill. "Just keep going, we're still in the network coverage," Sam shouted, "Magellan, covering fire!" Elle scrunched her face with concentration, dodging the mechs as well as the canon fire from the Magellan, Sam wobbling on the back of the cruiser and shooting out mechs when he could.

"This is kind of fun," Elle shouted over the sound of explosions and guns and mechs collapsing around them. "Are you OK?" Sam asked, a laugh in his throat. "Definitely not," she laughed back, "But I'm glad I'm out here with you." Sam patted her shoulder, "Yeah, me too, thanks for looking after me out here."

They arrived at the next node, up on a small sand dune. They both jumped out and felt the impact blow of an explosion as a ghost mech shot at the cruiser, throwing both of them in opposite directions. Elle felt her head connect with a boulder and cried out, seeing stars and feeling hot blood seep down her forehead. "Fuck!" she yelled, looking up to see where Sam was. "SAM?!" she shouted over the deafening sounds of the gunshots around them. She jumped up, shooting out as many mechs as she could, relieved to see Sam already at the node. She rushed to get closer to him, managing to keep the mechs away. "Done!" he finally yelled, joining her to fight the mechs together. They saw the Magellan pop up a few feet away, the mini guns making short work of the remaining mechs.

Once the area was clear, Elle and Sam stood catching their breath. "Is everything OK, guys?" came Fragile's voice over the ring terminals on their fingers, "If you need a moment to recover, feel free to head to your private rooms." The two of them exchanged a look. "Wanna just get this over with?" Sam asked, "Its your call, if you need a rest we can head in." Elle shook her head. "Nope, we need to get this done," she said. He nodded, and they turned to run over the hills ahead of them towards the bridge to Terminal Fort Knot. It was crawling with mechs, and was going to be a long, hard fight to get to their destination.

Every step of the way, they had to push hard, both of them breathing heavily, every muscle in their bodies aching. When the finally reached the halfway point, they found themselves impossibly surrounded. They stood, back to back, circling as they surveyed their surroundings. "We're just outside the network," Elle hissed, "Fuck!" They couldn't call for support, and she had a strong feeling that this was it. Sam grunted in agreement to her cuss. "We have to try," he said, "But hey, if you get a chance to get ahead, leave me here, I can't die but you can." She felt his hand passing something to her, and she looked down to see the Q-Pid in her hand. "It might be up to you to link up the last terminal, and for all his faults I don't think Higgs is gonna kill you to stop you." She took a deep breath. "Sam..." she whispered, "I'm not going to leave you. My orders are to protect you out here, this is your job, your victory." He shook his head. "Don't be stupid," he snapped, "You should know I ain't precious about that. The mission is connect the continent, if you die and I can't get out of this, we're fucked." She nodded slowly, accepting. "I'm gonna start shooting, so make a run for it," Sam said, turning slowly with her until she was facing Terminal Fort Knot, "Go, now!"

She started to break into a run, and sure enough, the mechs just watched her go, turning their attention to Sam. But she only made it a few feet when she heard what sounded like something whipping through the air. She stopped to turn, and saw a huge figure, at least 8 foot tall, dressed similarly to the ghost mechs, with an odradek for a face. It looked like a samurai, even brandishing a sword. The ghost mechs rushed at it, so it wasn't on their side. Sam turned to look at her, running to her side. "What the fuck is that?" she asked, "Is it one of us?" He shook his head, and they both watched as the samurai turned to look at them, slamming its sword into the bridge, severing the connection and coralling all the ghost mechs on the other side. The bridge groaned, as it broke apart, and Elle and Sam stumbled. The odradek on the face of the samurai lifted, the hood opening up to reveal Deadman's face. "Deadman?!" Sam shouted "Is that really you?" Elle couldn't speak, just staring, mouth agape.

"You need to keep moving," Deadman shouted back, "I'm here to help friends in need. Death can't tear us apart." And then he disappeared, and all they could hear was the sound of fighting up on the other half of the bridge. "Come on," Sam said, grabbing Elle's arm to pull her along. The rest of the way was clear, and they ran between the trucks park out in the courtyard of the terminal. All Elle could think was this seemed too could to be true, and she immediately wanted to kick herself for even thinking that thought into existence. The bridge shuddered violently, and they looked up to see a huge, metal tentacle rising up out of the lake beneath them. It swiped out, knocking Sam onto this back. He groaned, rolling onto his side. "Go," he shouted, "Get to the terminal." She turned and ran, cursing as the terminal's emergency blast doors closed. She ran back to Sam, joining him to fire upon the giant ghost mech. It focused only on Sam, so she used this to her advantage, firing upon the weak spots it left vulnerable. "Over here!" she yelled, trying to pull its attention away. But it acted as though she didn't even exist. She searched on the ground around her, seeing the grenade launcher that had fallen from Sam's pack when it had knocked him down. She quickly unpacked it, standing to see the huge red face, reminiscent of the mask Higgs had worn when he first came to her as his mech self, looking down at her. She aimed the grenade launcher at the face, firing it with a scream. Sam focused fire on the exposed core behind it whilst she aimed at its remaining limbs, and after what felt like an eternity, it finally stopped, collapsing with a crash onto the bridge and slowly sinking back down into the tar it had erupted from. "You good?" Sam asked looking at her with concern. "Am I good?" she laughed, "It didn't touch me, are you OK? Hear, eat this," she handed him a cryptobiote and he rolled his eyes before taking it. "You're just like your sister," he snorted, crunching it between his teeth. "Here," she said, handing the Q-Pid back to him, the blast doors reopening ahead, "Its only right that you do this." He took the Q-Pid and gestured for her to follow. "Together, come on," he said, breaking into a run.

She stood back, watching as the Q-Pid worked its magic, the network finally connected. "You did it!" she squealed, jumping forward to hug him. She half expected him to push her back, but he gave her an awkward, one armed hug in return. "Well done Sam," she said, standing back to smile at him. They were interrupted suddenly by the presence of someone else there. Hands clapping slowly, almost mocking. Higgs. "Here's to the man of the hour," he said, "Our hero finally linked up the whole damn continent... Hey, honey" he turned to Elle at the end, smirking. She jumped, blinking out of the terminal and back to the Magellan. Fragile and Rainy gasped when she appeared. "Into the terminal," Elle shouted, ignoring everyone and rushing to Tarman, "Get us into the terminal now, Higgs is there!" Tarman didn't speak, jumping straight to action. "We're just outside the terminal Elle, we got here just after you connected it, heading in now," Fragile said, hand on her shoulder.

When the Magellan rose into the terminal, Higgs was holding Sam's gun, talking to him, and then they both turned their heads to the side. "Who are they looking at?" Tomorrow asked. Elle didn't care. Sam reached out to try and grab at Higgs, but he jumped, blinking out of reach and taking Sam's gun with him, laughing, proud of himself. "Fuck this," Elle hissed, hating this ghost mech version of the man she cared about. She reached over Tarman's shoulder and armed the huge gun that had been newly installed, and when it extended, it wiped Higgs off his feet, slamming him into the wall of Terminal Fort Knot building. Fragile's mouth hung open in shock, and none of the crew knew where to look. When the gun pulled back, Higgs dropped to the ground, his robotic body split in two. Elle and Fragile walked to the lift, heading out the ramp to approach Higgs where his body lay on the ground. Elle grabbed his shoulders, pulling him up to sit him against the wall, face still intact, he looked up at her. "That's my girl," he whispered, almost sadly. What she didn't know, was that he was hoping she would turn against him. Ever since his dream back on the beach, he'd vowed that he wouldn't see her become a monster. She couldn't speak to him, stepping away and allowing Fragile to step forward. "Hello, beautiful," he smiled at her wickedly. "You are long past your prime," Fragile snapped, "You're damaged goods." He whispered ominously to her, "Tell me, does it still hurt?" A wire jutted out of his side, poking at her arm where he'd shot her, but Elle knew he wasn't talking about the wound, he was talking about the emotional turmoil of Fragile being the one responsible for Lou when she'd disappeared, "It does, doesn't it?" He laughed at her, mocking, infuriating. Fragile stood up, motioning to pick up his battle guitar he had dropped on the ground. "Oh, yes, go on," he whispered, hunger in his voice, "It won't work, but, be my guest."

Elle was shocked by what Fragile did next. She began strumming the battle guitar hard, and Elle watched as sparks flew out, hitting Higgs in the chest over and over, whilst Fragile screamed with rage. She'd never seen her sister like this. Fragile was always so calm, collected, and even when angry she still kept a level of grace and decorum that Elle had always admired. Higgs laughed as the sparks hit him, and she wondered if the real Higgs could even feel this. As much as she loved him, part of her couldn't help but hope he felt something, anything, knowing it didn't come close to what he'd put Sam through. When Fragile stopped, Higgs continued laughing, a smirk of smug satisfaction on his face. "Still as stubborn as ever," he snorted, before turning to look at Sam, who looked just as shocked as Elle at Fragile's rage. "Oh, and by the way, Sam... it was me who killed Lou." Elle gasped, hand over her face. What an idiot she was. He'd lied to her, he'd acted as though he'd had no idea where the baby had gone and the whole time he'd fucking lied! Sam growled, aiming his own gun at Higgs, shooting round after round, watching his limp body jump and shudder under fire. Elle felt hot tears of rage spilling over her eyes. Still, Higgs laughed, "Kinda tickles," he smiled, refusing to give them any satisfaction that they were getting to him, lapping up the way he induced such rage in them. "Your thirst for revenge will never be satisfied," Higgs mumbled, his face starting to flicker out of focus, voice taking on a gravelly, static tone. "Enough!" Fragile snapped, "I'm putting you down!" She pulled a switch on the guitar, and flames erupted from the end, the same flames that had had Sam writhing with agony only a few days ago. Higg's hair burned away, leaving just the white metallic skull left behind the projection of his face. He moaned, but it sounded like pleasure rather than pain as the mech slumped to the side. Elle couldn't deny she hated hearing the sound, wondering if the real Higgs was burning, though she knew, deep down, he deserved this.

When Fragile halted the flames, she stepped closer, looking down at the charred metal. He still continued, voice now almost incoherent. "I'll take the damage and the goods, I don't break that easy," he moaned. "What?" Fragile snapped. "I'll take the damage and the goods, I don't break that easy," he mumbled again. He kept repeating it, the voice taking on a disturbing tone, like he was reciting a spell. The smile on his face was infuriating, and Elle swore she could see the heat rising from Fragile. She burned him again, aiming the flames right at his face. Before the flames had even died down, he continued. "I'll take the damage and the goods, I don't break that easy. I'll take the damage and the goods, I don't break that easy," his voice, starting as a whisper, starting to get louder and louder, laughing maniacally between words, face flickering, looking and sounding completely monstrous until he was screaming, "I'LL TAKE THE DAMAGE AND THE GOOD, I DON'T BREAK THAT EASY."

Elle started backing away, frightened by what he was now, her face twisted. Sam walked to her side, hand holding her arm gently as comfort, trying to turn her away. "No," she hissed, shaking his hand off. "That's right darling, do you love me now?" Higgs shouted, noting her expression of disgust, "Don't turn away, this is your man, aren't you always hangin' around me, like a dog sniffin' around snacks?" Sam tried to pull her away again. "You don't need to listen to this," he grumbled, "Come away, come on."

"You're pathetic, sweetheart," he continued, "Pathetic and desperate, clingin' to some half-rotted idea of who I used to be... Do you tell yourself I'm still your man, huh? That all those sweet nothings we whispered in the dark mean somethin' now?" Elle pushed Sam aside and walked towards the burning lump on the floor. "Stop it," she hissed, "Just stop it!" He laughed cruelly. "What, you don't like the truth? Everytime I look at you, all I can think is how easy it'd be to ruin you, and the whole time you'd keep beggin' me to keep going even while you hate yourself for wantin' it." She couldn't understand why he was saying these things, and her face began to crumple with her tears. Sam rushed forward to grab her, trying desperately to pull her away "Uh, oh! Here comes the crocodile tears again! You best get your hands off my woman, Sam," Higgs laughed, "Or maybe, you've already had 'em on her? Is Mr Aphenphosmphobia a fan of the Particle of God's sloppy seconds? Tell me, sweetheart, did you let him fuck you on that pretty little ship of yours? All quiet-like so nobody could hear? Or did you cry my name while he was inside you, hopin' you could pretend it was the old Higgs, who made sweet, sweet love to you in our little bunker?"

She felt like her knees were going to buckle, and she almost collapsed, letting Sam pull her away this time. She couldn't believe the words coming out of his mouth. The words had gutted her. So intimate, so cruelly precise, so disgusting that he would even insinuate such nonsense. She couldn't hear any more of what he was saying, but as Sam helped her up the ramp back into the Magellan, she turned to see Fragile smashing the guitar on his head over, and over, and over again, screaming as she did.

***

He punched the rock until his knuckles bled, the white bone showing underneath. "Fuck!" he screamed, "Fuck, fuck fuck!" Higgs had tears pouring down his face, his heart aching, lungs struggling to breath through sobs that wracked his body. He wanted her so bad, he wanted so badly to hold her, to rock her in his arms and tell her he didn't mean a word of it. But he'd vowed he wouldn't let her become like him. Seeing her face when he'd lied about killing Lou, when he'd taunted Fragile, and... the things he'd said to her, it almost killed him. He couldn't get the image of her little face out of his mind, the way her body had crumpled, watching Sam fucking Bridge being the one to comfort her. He knew there was nothing between them. He knew it, and yet he had to find any thread that he could pull at to try and unravel whatever connection Elle still felt to him. He was truly alone now, and now he could continue with his plans.

He'd checked over the hair he'd pulled from that young girls head.

Lou wasn't dead. She wasn't discarded somewhere. She was on that ship. And he was going to get her. She was his ticket. She was his extinction entity.

Chapter Text

Back on the ship, Elle stayed curled on her bed in the fetal position where Sam had deposited her, and she sobbed into her pillow. She couldn't believe the things Higgs had said. And the way he'd laughed like a maniac as he'd talked about killing Lou, she just couldn't comprehend it. Her body shook with sobs, and she barely heard the sound of footsteps approaching her room, Fragile's voice shouting "Where is she?"

When the door hissed open, Fragile whispered, "Elle! Oh, Elle." She rushed across the room, climbing on the bed behind her sister and hugging her, the way she had when Elle was just a little girl, when Fragile and her father had found her outside Port Knot City. Elle had suffered chronic nightmares as a child, later realised to be down to her DOOMS. Fragile had suffered with the nightmares a lot longer, and would often wake in the night to find Elle standing by her bed, asking to get in. They would sleep through the night, Fragile holding Elle close, the sisters quickly becoming bonded. "Elle," Fragile whispered, "I'm so sorry. I'm so, so sorry." Elle couldn't speak, just continued to take gasping breaths as the sobs possessed her. "I wish it didn't have to be like this," Fragile continued, "I wish that I'd dragged him back with me, before." Elle turned over to face her, and Fragile gently wiped tears from her cheeks. "The things he said," she sniffed, words coming out disjointed through her violent breaths, "He meant it, he meant everything he said." Fragile shook her head, "I don't know if he did," Fragile said, stroking her hair, "I'd like to think that was his last... his last way of trying to push you away? I don't think he wants you to follow him. Either that, or he was just spouting bullshit because he wanted to look tough in front of me and Sam." Elle rubbed her face and took another jittery breath, "So you're saying he had to break me to save me?" she asked, before her throat tightened again and voice crumbled, "But Fragile why do I still love him? Why does it hurt so much?" Fragile pulled her close, "Because its real," she whispered, "God I wish I had someone who loved me as much as you love Higgs," she said, a sad laugh escaping her chest, "I think the world could be a better place if people could let themselves love the way you do. And honestly, the way he loves you... I think he said those words because deep down he knows he might lose, and he wants you to stay safe, to stay yourself. I know those words were ugly, they were vile, but they didn't sound like Higgs. For all his faults, he's never said things like that about you. Its just me and Sam who get the abuse."

Elle took another deep, steadying breath, nodding quietly. She would keep that thought in her mind, despite how traumatising his behaviour was. "Is that it then?" she asked, voice croaking under the emotion, "Is he... is he dead?" Fragile took a deep breath, "I think he might be," she whispered, "Or he's on the beach, but honestly I don't know if his soul will survive. But he has lost his vessel to come here and torment us." Elle nodded, lip trembling. Fragile stroked her hair again. "Come out to the bridge," she smiled, "We're moving the ship away now, it would be good to have you up here with me, sis." Elle took another deep breath and moved to stand with Fragile, and together they headed out to the bridge. Tomorrow was there, and she leapt up to hug Elle. "You were so brave," she whispered. Rainy came forward next, catching Elle in a tight embrace. "I'm sorry, Elle," she said, rubbing her back, "You kicked arse out there, we're so proud of you. You got Sam to that node, and you got us all connected." Elle sat down in the chair Fragile directed her to. Heartman gave her a quiet nod, a sad look on his face, acknowledging what she'd lost. He knew how it felt to lose loved ones, and he took no pleasure in the part of Higgs' loss that affected Elle. Tarman stood to approach her, crouching in front of her seat and taking her small hand in his big dad hand. "You'll be OK, Elle," he said, "You're a brave girl, and we're all so glad you're with us. But take the time to grieve. No matter what he did, or who he was in the end, he was still someone to you, and there's no shame in grieving." She felt tears bubbling up again, and Tarman reached up to wipe them from her cheek before heading back to his seat. Sam wasn't in the room, most likely still resting after everything. "Lets leave Sam to rest," Tarman announced, "Its about time we made a move."

He was about to get the ship running, when a sudden, grey light fell across the bridge. Fragile stumbled back into her seat, and Elle could feel a heaviness settling on her eyes. She tried to turn to look at Heartman sat next to her, but before she could look at him, everything went dark.

***

Elle awoke suddenly to a hand on her shoulder. She turned her chair, looking up to see none other than Die-Hardman standing in front of her. He smiled, and she gave him a quick thumbs up, smiling back. Looking around the room, she saw Sam standing beside him, with Tomorrow, Rainy, Tarman and Heartman all looking just as confused as she was. And there, at the front of the ship, black tar running down his face, an older man, who she could only deduce was the president of APAS 4000. "So, humanity will continue to make use of APAS, and embrace the true potential of the chiral network," Die-Hardman said, clearly continuing a conversation she hadn't caught the beginning of, "No-one wants to go back to the dark days that followed the Death Stranding." Sam stepped forward, looking to him as if to confirm a previous statement. "Its true, what you said about travel. There are people with DOOMS who can use the beach to jump just about anywhere." Die-Hardman nodded, glancing at Elle, then to Fragile, who was still unconscious, and finally to Tomorrow. "The physical sensation of movement is something we all crave," he continued, "That unity of body and soul." He touched Dollman gently, who sprang back to consciousness from his place hanging from the ceiling. "DOOMS may still wind up being an evolutionary dead end, but even in that possibility, I see hope." He touched Fragile then, and she awoke gently, smiling up at him. "Now I'm going to activate the Q-Pid we used to connect the continents." He closed his eyes, and the room fell dark as he connected the Q-Pid, a flash of blue light erupting from his hands that opened up a map of the world around the room. It was beautiful, and Elle gasped seeing the different continents lighting up, waiting for connection. "To build a bridge to the future we want to see - choose our own path forward," he said, waving a hand that made the president disappear from the room in an eerie dust cloud. He then turned to address the room. "Until moments ago, each of you was trapped in an elaborate illusion created by the President."

"Yeah, we were," Tarman said, "What took you so long? Our former president has been hiding on board from the start in what I call the 'shadow cabinet'." Fragile frowned, standing to approach Tarman. "You knew about this?" she demanded. Die-Hardman cut in. "APAS has been monitoring us for some time. I believed the deception was necessary to avoid... discovery. But I'm sorry for keeping you all in the dark. I needed to make sure Drawbridge successfully connected the continents without raising suspicion or attracting APAS's attention. This was the best idea I could come up with. To put away my body for a while, stop being Die-Hardman, and become a ghost named Charlie instead."

The room went silent, and suddenly a sound like a knife cutting through the air. "What are you doing?!" came Dollman's voice, before he was thrown across the room, caught by Die-Hardman. They turned to see the red samurai, the one who had helped Sam and Elle get across the bridge, looming over them all, sword drawn. He swung the sword across all their heads, and everyone ducked with a gasp. "Deadman, stop," Sam shouted, and he and Elle both lurched forward to reason with him. Die-Hardman threw an arm in front of them both, pushing them back. "Get back, you fools! That's not me!" came Deadman's voice from Heartman. The samurai stabbed the sword into the ground, tar bubbling up and locking them all in place. Tentacles began to snake up Tomorrow's legs, her body, tightening around her throat, the tar climbing up her and encasing her in a cuccoon, subduing her until she passed out. "It's Higgs," Elle shouted, "Its Higgs!" She'd known from that moment he'd first seen Tomorrow, the way he'd looked at her like she was his salvation. "What the fuck?!" Fragile gasped, looking up at the samurai. The hood unzipped, revealing Higgs' red mask underneath as he held a finger to his mouth. "Shhhh," he whispered. "Higgs?" Sam said quietly.

"Broadcasting live from the beach... same as it ever was," came his booming voice. So he was still alive, and Elle felt like her heart had stopped. He sat down in Fragile's seat, body too massive for the small chair, spreading his legs, taking up as much room as possible before continuing. "I've been... puppeteering this whole thing the whole time. Yeah... all the payback dear old Amelie for what she did to me." Sam frowned, "This is about Amelie?" he snapped. Elle just stared at Higgs, unnerved by the way the expression on the mask changed every time she blinked. "Yeah," Higgs responded, "See, I'm gonna crack open that beach she sealed away and kick off the Last Stranding. The perfect ending humanity deserves. And the sweetest revenge I could hope for to take out on that ol' bitch... and all of y'all. Good to see you again, by the way." Sam and Fragile exchanged a brief look. "What makes you think you can pull it off?" Sam asked. Higgs sat up straight, "Well I am so glad that you asked!" he replied, "You see, during my lengthy imprisonment, I had time to figure it out. All I needed was a catalyst with a connection to Amelie, and I could break through to her beach!" Sam shook his head, "That connection is long gone," he snapped. Higgs snorted. "Oh, Sam... sweetheart, I'm not talkin' about you." He turned his head to look at Tomorrow, and everyone gasped. He pointed his sword at her and stood, approaching the girl. "This... This is the catalyst I've been searchin' for. Brand new extinction entity." He looked back at Sam, but his expression was vacant, confused. "Still in the dark huh? Your genes lined up beautifully," Higgs continued. When everyone still didn't respond, he shook his head. "God damn, man, she's your daughter!" Elle and Fragile looked at each other, both shocked. "What?" Sam snapped, and Higgs laughed, swinging his sword again. They all watched in horror as Tomorrow sank into the tar, and Higgs shushed them again, following closely after her. When the tar released them, Sam leapt forward, hand digging into the tar, but only pulling up the red mask. Higgs' voice came out of thin air. "If y'all wanna come after us, be my guest! We'll be waiting on the beach!" Silence, and then something rose up out of the tar... Tomorrow's shoe.

The team sprang into action. Heartman went to the beach to search for signs of Tomorrow, and Tarman confirmed that the chrysalis formed around her should protect her in even the harshest conditions. "He won't harm her," Elle said, "Not yet at least, he needs her to bring the Last Stranding, she will be safe for now. I know that's no consolation but..." she trailed off, looking over to Sam. "There's no mistake, Sam. Your genetic profiles are a match. Tomorrow really is your daughter." Die-Hardman was pacing the room, deep in thought, and Tarman returned to his seat. "What in the world is going on?" Dollman asked, looking between Fragile and Sam. "Nothing that makes any sense," Sam mumbled, running his hand through the stubble on his face. "Actually, its not impossible," Die-Hardman said, clicking his fingers like he was on to something, "As a member of Bridges with DOOMS, you were obligated to provide sperm samples." Dollman nodded, "Which means Tomorrow could be Sam's child, conceived via artificial insemination." Die-Hardman clicked his tongue, shaking his head. "If that's true, Higgs may well be able to trigger the Last Stranding," he said, grimly. Elle ran a hand through her hair and sat down next to Rainy, grabbing her hand. Rainy was cradling Tomorrow's shoe, her face a map of worry. "We have to get Tomorrow back," Fragile said, "Which means we need to go to the beach where Higgs went." Elle closed her eyes. The beach that Amelie had sealed to contain the Last Stranding for longer. It must be a monstrous place. "And how are we supposed to do that?" Dollman asked. Rainy jumped up. "You can't" she protested, "Both you and Elle have been diagnosed with jump shock before, a jump this major could be dangerous." Tarman shook his head. "Nevertheless, what other choice do we have?" he said. "I've got to at least try," Fragile said, quietly. "We could try together," Elle said, standing to join Fragile, "I don't know if its possible, but if we both try to push the jump at the same time, our connection is strong enough to each other to form one single jump... it could take the strain off so that its not just one of us doing it." Fragile nodded, "Worth a try, right?" she smiled. Elle nodded, and turned back to Rainy. "I know its scary, but we have to do this - we have to stop him." Rainy nodded tearfully. "You're so brave," she whispered. Elle shook her head. "I'm only as brave as the people on this ship," she smiled.

"With the combined support of every DOOMS sufferer on this ship, its possible Fragile and Elle, as the strongest DOOMS sufferers among you, might be able to jump us where we need to go," Die-Hardman said. Heartman jumped back into consciousness then, typing into the keyboard infront of him immediately. "I'm sorry," he said, "Wherever Higgs went, I can't follow." Deadman took over then. "He must have been operating out of his own beach... Using his Ka to control vessels in our world in the same way I have." Elle nodded, "He was on his own beach," she said, "When I was there with him, sometimes he'd disappear for days - that must have been when he was here, terrorising Sam. He couldn't be in two places at once, so he must have been piloting vessels from the beach." Heartman rubbed his temple, "But I know exactly where his beach is, I mapped it already and there was nobody there when I checked," he said, deep in thought, "So how do we find the right beach?" They all went quiet, thinking, trying to figure it out. Fragile clicked her fingers when she got it. "It doesn't matter where Higgs is," she said, walking forward from her chair, "All we have to do is connect to the dreamcatcher and the quipu... Amelie! Higgs was wearing her quipu, wasn't he? If we had something connected to her, we could follow the quipu... and Higgs. Tarman, can you take us to Sam's shelter?" Tarman nodded, "I'll prepare the ship, sit tight in your quarters," he said, turning to sit in his seat at the front of the ship.

But as soon as he tried to chart the course, he shook his head. "The tar currents are too unstable, I'm not going to be able to take her under," he hissed, "Mexico is looking especially bad at the moment, and that instability is affecting Australia too. Its too dangerous to try moving the ship." He turned in his chair to look at Sam. "Time is of the essence, Sam, we can't afford to wait until the currents have settled. You're going to have to go ahead without us, back to Mexico, but we have no idea what's going to be waiting for you there. We'll join you as soon as we can." Sam nodded and turned to Elle. "What do you say?" he asked her, motioning to the lift, "Could use you at my back again, and I know I'd feel safer with you there." Elle nodded. "Of course," she smiled.

The two of them packed up their bags with everything they needed - weapons, grenades, blood bags - and donned their suits ready for the journey, and then they headed out, taking Fragile's pick up off-roader, Elle taking the driver's seat. She drove them along the coastline, the quickest route, and they could see the plate gate in the distance. As they drew closer, she looked over at Sam. "I can't believe it, it feels like such a long time since we came through here," she said, raising her voice over the truck's engine. Sam nodded, solemnly, his mind far away, thinking of Tomorrow. "We're going to get her back, Sam, I promise you," she said. He looked across at her then. "Thank you," he muttered. "For what?" she said, frowning. "I know this can't be easy for you, seeing him like this, having to fight against him... I just... thought I should say thank you for being so ready and willing to help." She smiled sadly and nodded. "Its the right thing to do," she said, but she still couldn't keep the pang of ache out of her heart. Would she ever see Higgs again? Would she ever look into his eyes before he died, or before they left him behind again, to rot? She hated that the last she saw of him was that awful robot screaming filth at her.

They passed through the plate gate finally, and when the reached the other side, Mexico looked like a whole different universe. It was like it was under water. "What the fuck?" Elle whispered, looking at their surroundings. "This has to be an effect of the Last Stranding," Sam said, "He must have already started it off." Elle put her foot on the accelerator, speeding down the hill as fast as she could. Both their ring terminals buzzed with a message from Tarman. Sam lifted his hand to view the message. "Hey you two, we've got some updates on the disturbances in the tar currents. The point of greatest instability appears to be not too far from the site you linked up at the very start of your journey, in the vicinity of Ciudad Nudo del Norte. Chiralium levels are well outside of the normal range, and I'm willing to bet there's something of interest there. For instance, we've also received reports of a 'giant shadow'... I've marked the location on both your maps, get there as fast as you can. We can't travel until this has been resolved, so get there fast and get it sorted. You two are the only ones we can count on." When the transmission ended, Sam and Elle both side glanced at each other and smirked. "Doesn't he always sound super bossy," Elle said, and Sam snorted, "No, seriously, like he's not going out here fighting shit and getting beaten up, but he's so bossy!" They both laughed as they sped through the rocky terrain of Mexico, but when they grew closer to the location Tarman had marked, Elle's smile disappeared. "I'm sensing a BT," she whispered. "Just one?" Sam asked, "We can take that."

"No," she said, her voice full of dread, "Its not like a gazer, its something big." As if summoned by her acknowledgement, the ground began to shake violently, tar seeping up and beginning to sweep the truck away with it. Something huge bobbed up from the tar, and then it felt like the earth was lifting up in front of them. Only it wasn't the earth. It was a BT. It rose slowly, a crab like creature, and it just kept on going. Elle felt her blood run cold as it stood at full height, at least a hundred feet tall. "Oh, fuck. Oh fuck!" she cried, "Sam, what the fuck is even that?!" Sam began pulling weapons from his backpack. "Come on, we can do this," he shouted. She pulled out her own gun, hands shaking. She'd seen giant BTs before, but this was like a complete nightmare. "Aim at its joints!" Sam shouted, pointing at the knuckles of its legs. Together, they worked on weakening it, but it just didn't feel like she was making a difference. Sam kept shouting instructions to her, but she couldn't hear him over the sound of this creature, its enourmous limbs sending waves of tar every time it moved. She was starting to tire, noticing Sam was too far away to hear him. She aimed her gun at one of its joints again, focusing her sight so hard on trying to see the crack in its leg that she completely missed the huge pincer reaching for her. "Elle!" Sam screamed, running to her as fast as he could, but she couldn't hear him. She screamed as the pincer closed around her, lifting her from the ground and up towards its mouth. She aimed her gun at its face, screaming as she shot round after round at it, it flinched and stopped lifting her, emitting a loud, guttural roar. When her bullets ran out, she threw her gun to the ground, pulling the handgun from the holster on her leg, but it slipped from her grasp and fell too. She tried to reach for her grenade pouch, but it was stuck under the BTs pincer. "Fuck," she whispered, looking up at the BT as it began to lift her to its mouth again. She stared, waiting for the inevitable to happen. She was going to be the idiot who allowed a voidout to take out the area, destroy a city full of people, and she would delay Sam... the Last Stranding would happen. She'd fucked up. She closed her eyes and waited.

The sudden feeling of air flying through her hair and feeling like she'd left her stomach miles above her made her eyes flash open. She was falling, the pincer still holding onto her but already starting to turn into gold chiral crystals that broke her fall when it hit the ground. Briefly, she was trapped under the crystal, holding her under the tar. She kicked about, trying desperately to get to the surface when a hand grabbed her and pulled her up. When she breache the surface again, her heart felt like an earthquake with how hard it was hammering. "Thought I'd lost you there," Sam said, hauling her to her feet. She looked around them, the tar slowly being sucked back into the ground, thousands of chiral crystals left behind. "Oh my god," she panted, "You saved me." Sam shook his head, "Don't mention it," he said, breathing heavy himself. "Come on, we've still got a little way to go, and the truck is fucked," he pointed over his shoulder at Fragile's beloved off roader, on fire, crushed under the BTs foot. "Oh, fuck that," Elle groaned, "I'm not walking." She grabbed Sam's hand and mustered all her strength, jumping them to his shelter in an instant.

Sam immediately looked uncomfortable. He hadn't been here since he'd lost Lou. The room was still a mess as they'd left it, a record that had been playing spinning on the old world gramophone, the song long since finished. Elle watched as Sam picked a teddy bear out of Lou's old high chair and laid it gently in her crib, whispering soothing sounds to it quietly. She felt like she was watching something she shouldn't be, so she turned away, giving him some privacy as he looked around the room. He started picking things up, all the while Dollman telling him it wasn't what they were needing. Until finally, he found the right item. "This is what we need, I think," Sam said to Elle. She walked over, looking at the photo he held out. "It's Bridget... or Amelie in the picture." Elle looked at it, noticing Sam was in the picture too, and a pregant women who's face seemed to have been blotted out by timefall. She suspected this was Lucy, but didn't pry. "Yes," Dollman said, "This photo of Amelie, or Bridget, should serve as a tie to the quipu she wore, meaning we should be able to use it to connect to the quipu in Higgs' possession as well." Elle nodded, "So its exactly what we need," she whispered.

When they reached the surface, the Magellan was already rising out of the tar, ramp opening for them to enter. When they joined everyone on the bridge, Fragile was already holding Lou's old BB pod. "We have to pray this also has a strong tie to Amelie," she said, sadly, "Anything to help us get there." All the seats on the ship had stabilising cords strapped to them, and Fragile motioned for Elle to stand with her. "Sam, in the middle," she said, turning him to face her, motioning for Elle to stand behind him, hands on his shoulders. Fragile placed her hands on top of Elle's, and Sam placed his hands on Fragile's waist. Die-Hardman stood in front of the three of them, strapping himself to the now faceless terminal that used to be Charlie. "Concentrate, everyone, and focus your powers," he commanded. Fragile then addressed the crew. "For the sake of the future, we must all come together, as a barrier to the bad, and a gateway to the good," she said, "All hands, brace for launch." Tarman flicked a few switched on the dashboard. "Engaging tar ballast pumps, DHV Magellan, ready to dive," he shouted. The seats around the bridge all leaned back into horizontal positions, and Elle looked over Sam's shoulder at Fragile, winking at her encouragingly. Fragile smiled back, and then focused her attention on Sam, leaning her forehead to rest on his. Elle looked down as they pressed their lips together, and then felt the weightlessness as they began making the jump. This didn't happen in the fast blink she was used to. It was slow, and all she could hear was the sound of water.

In this moment of quiet, Elle made a vow to herself. They were going to stop Higgs. They had to. Tomorrow's life hung in the balance, and so did the survival of the world. That was their mission, their duty. Elle had stood with them in every briefing, helped plan routes and contingencies, kept her voice level and her hands busy. To them, she was part of the plan. But she knew how her story would end if things went the way they had planned.

Higgs waited for them on the beach. He'd turned himself into a weapon forged by abandonment - monstrous and cruel. He had hurt people - Sam most of all, Fragile too, and Lou beyond forgiveness. He had lied, manipulated and destroyed. He had done things Elle could never truly pardon. And yet, the thought of life without him existing made her heart close like a coffin lid.

Her memories betrayed her - the mountain he'd pointed to, that she'd buried his letter on, the laughter they'd shared when the world felt small, his hands cupping her face like he could hide the sun there, the first time he'd touched her like she was the only map he would ever need. Those moments were sunlight she could still hold. Proof that the man she loved had once been real, warm, human. Fragile and Sam would never truly understand, no matter how much they tried. To them, Higgs was only the monster. They wouldn't see how the years without him had hollowed her out, how being told he was dead had broken her, probably beyond repair. They would never grasp that she was stitched to him so tightly that logic would never be able to unpick them.

She wasn't blind. She knew he was dangerous, that his obsession with the Last Stranding was madness. She knew he might never come back from this. And still, she could not imagine existing in a world without him. The others would call it insanity. Fragile would call her deluded, and Sam would look at her like a puzzle he couldn't fix. Everyone else would shake their heads and pity her. But Elle had made her choice. When it came to it, she would help them stop the Last Stranding, she'd help them get to safety, but she would take the same fate as Higgs. Whether it was death or exile, he would not tread that path without her by his side.

Chapter Text

Elle jolted awake to the feeling of Sam shaking her arm. When she opened her eyes, she saw she was laid on the floor of the Magellan, Sam next to her and Fragile on the other side of him. The three of them exchanged glances. "Did we do it?" Elle asked. As if in answer, the blast shields on the front of the Magellan opened, revealing the ocean outside - huge whales moving around them, and the sound of their whale song deafening. "Discharging tar ballasts, DHV Magellan surfacing" Tarman groaned, as his seat, and all the other seats on the ship, returned to an upright position. "Looks like it," Sam grunted, nodding his thanks to Fragile and Elle. Elle reached past Sam to Fragile. "Are you OK?" she asked. Fragile took her hand. "A little tired and achey, but fine... are you OK?" Fragile responded. Elle nodded, jumping slightly at the feeling of the ship rising through the pressure of the water. As it breached the surface, the crew could see out the window, thousands of BTs clinging to the ship's hull, moaning and groaning, trying to reach them inside. Sam stood up, reaching to pull Fragile and Elle to their feet as they looked out, uneasy, at what was beyond the safety of the Magellan. "Get us airborne, on the double," Fragile commanded, moving to her captain's chair. Die-Hardman stepped towards Tarman, addressing the room. "Attention all hands! Prepare for flight mode," he said, voice booming with authority. Tarman pushed the lever to move the Magellan from deep tar submarine mode, and into an airborne vessel, and the ship lurched upwards. "I didn't know this thing could fly," Elle gasped. Die-Hardman turned to her and smirked. "Brace yourself," he said, as the ship shook violently with the flames rocketing out of the engines. The BTs began to fall off, back in to the tar ocean beneath them. Elle peered out the window, getting a good look at their surroundings. In the distance, huge BTs the shape of sting rays flew through the air, seemingly patrolling around circles of BTs, thousands of souls pulled together in a formation. On the ground, thousands of monoliths, glowing red, protruded from the sand, and rising from the tar ocean was a gigantic sculpture, hands raised in the air. And there, against the horizon, a huge tear in the fabric of the beach. It had already begun.

"Higgs is here," Elle whispered, "I can sense him." Die-Hardman looked at her and nodded solemnly. "Of course," he said, "You have a love connection to him, your hearts and souls call out to each other. Are you with us, Elle?" She turned to look at him, his face equal parts kind, understanding, but firm. She knew if she said no he would have no qualms about having her restrained. She nodded, tears in her eyes, hoping that she could get to Higgs, see him before he died. "Good," Die-Hardman said quietly, a gentle hand on her shoulder. "I'm activating the hologram," Rainy said, fiddling with the terminal in front of her, "Look, zooming in." The hologram hovered in the centre of the room, and there, unmistakable, suspended alongside the BTs was Tomorrow. As soon as they located her, the ships emergency alarm signals kicked in. "Multiple BTs approaching!" Rainy shouted. They looked back out at the huge BTs in the sky and saw, sure enough, they had turned their attention on the Magellan. "Standy, and prepare for battle!" Die-Hardman shouted. Fragile stood, walking to Sam. "Please, Sam - it has to be you," she said "You have to be the one to finish it!" Elle turned away feeling her breathing hitch in her throat. How was she going to do this?

"Take the guitar with you," Tarman shouted, pointing to the battle guitar they'd taken from Higgs, leaning in the doorway. Tarman had had it reconfigured, and it would work indefinitely on the beach due to it requiring chiral energy to fire, and there was an abundance of that on the beach. Sam clipped Dollman to his belt buckle and turned to walk from the room. "We'll take care of things here," Die-Hardman said, clapping Sam on the shoulder, "Get to it, Sam." He turned to Fragile next, and they looked into each other's eyes, so much that was going to be left unsaid. Fragile knew that if Sam died here, he wouldn't repatriate, and the tears in her eyes hurt Elle's soul. "Be careful, please," Fragile whispered to him, pulling him into an embrace that he returned with the same intensity. When they pulled apart, she couldn't let go of him, pulling him back to her for one last, gentle kiss before he left. He turned to Elle next, nodding at her. "I promise, this time I won't leave him alive to rot here," he whispered, "I'll make sure you have someone to mourn." Elle nodded, tears in her eyes. Sam pulled her into a one armed embrace before leaving the room. Elle took a deep, shaking breath, and they watched from the cockpit of the Magellan as he ran along the beach, towards the monoliths.

"Battle stations," Die-Hardman shouted, taking his position behind Charlie, "Charlie! Activate battle mode." Charlie's head split open, and strand cords fell from the ceiling for Die-Hardman to strap himself in and take control of the canons. "Screens, activate," he continued, watching as the screens on the front of the Magellan projected the view from the canons. "OK... ready to give 'em hell?" he bellowed, blasting the canons and surging towards the BTs. The BTs shot chiralium and tar at the Magellan, and every hit shook the ship violently. Elle sat in Tomorrow's old seat, taking control of the miniguns. Together, she and Die-Hardman concentrated their efforts on one of the huge rays that was spinning closer and closer to the ship. "Good shot, girl," he shouted, laughing. She wanted to laugh, be proud of what they were doing, but all she had in her mind was when and how she was going to make her escape. She felt mindless as she shot out the BTs, and she could feel Fragile's glare on the back of her head.

"There's one going for Sam!" Rainy shouted, and Tarman swerved the ship rushing to catch the ray. Elle fired the miniguns, wiping it out before it managed to get close enough to Sam, still running down the beach. "Just wait till Tomorrow hears she has competition on the miniguns," Rainy laughed. Elle gave a small smile, and Rainy reached out to pat her hand gently, giving a nod of encouragement and understanding. Her attention was quickly pulled back to the screen infront of her though, "More BTs closing in!' she shouted. Elle glanced at her screen and saw them, enormous Gigas BTs, five of them, standing up from the ocean, slowly pulling hands to connect to their arms, lifting giant skulls from the water to place on their empty necks. This was absolutely monstrous, and she could not stick around for this. "I can't," she whispered to no one, jumping out of her seat. Fragile followed her into the corridor, both of them ignoring the canon fire booming, deafening, the ship lurching violently from the impact of being hit by BTs. "Where are you going?" Fragile said, rushing forward to grab Elle's arm. "I can't keep watching, I want to be alone," she whispered, "I'm sorry, I thought I could do this but I just need to be in my room alone until Sam gets back." Fragile nodded. "It's OK, I should be able to take over the guns," she said, "But listen, we're going to be OK, its going to be fine. No lies this time, and I will help you grieve, I promise. I'll be the sister I should have been before."

Elle nodded slowly. "You've always been the sister I needed," she whispered, "From the start, I'm so glad you found me." Fragile's eyes filled with tears, not realising this was meant to be a goodbye. "It was the best day of my life," she replied, stroking Elle's hair gently, "I couldn't have chosen a better, stronger sister if I'd created one myself." She pulled Elle into tight hug, and they stayed like that for a while. "Fragile?" Elle whispered. Fragile hummed in response. "Just remember, Fragile, I'll always be with you." Fragile's heart broke as she felt the weight of Elle's body disappear from between her arms. When she opened her eyes, nothing remained but a wisp of chiral dust left behind from her jump. The sound of the battle outside was too loud for the crew to hear Fragile's scream of horror.

***

Elle raced down the beach, but she'd somehow landed miles back behind where she left the Magellan. "Fuck!" she screamed, running as fast as she could to try and make up for time. Huge black whales leapt out of the sea, landing infront of her to birth multiple BTs, that ran at her, hands clawing at her. She had failed to bring any weapons with her, and each one that managed to make contact exploded, covering her in hot tar and chiralium. She winced as she ran, throat burning, legs aching. She felt like she'd been running forever, and almost fainted when she saw one of the Gigas BTs grab the Magellan in its hands, connecting it to its neck. "What the fuck?!" she yelled. She couldn't see Sam ahead of her, but she heard the sound of guitars. Higgs must have found him, the sound of the battle guitars spouting flame and chiralium bullets drawing her nearer.

Suddenly, the sound of them fighting stopped, and she could see in the distance, standing on the hand of the huge sculpture... Higgs. She screamed his name, but he was too far away, playing a melody on the new battle guitar he held, lost in the music, his hair flowing almost majestically in the wind. She was in awe of him. Despite everything, he was truly magnificent to look at, and she couldn't believe that soon, both of them would cease to exist. He turned then, looking down at something she could only imagine was Sam. "Do you remember that day on the beach?" he called out, and she could hear his voice, barely, "My guiding light betrayed me. Chose not yours truly... but Sam the man. Well... that catalyst was meant to be mine. Luckily I found someone new... your very own baby girl, the extinction entity." She saw he motioned to Tomorrow, her chrysalis now suspended behind him, the crack in the horizon now a chasm. "I am... truly graeful, I got to savour this revenge against you twice over," Higgs laughed, "There's just a beautiful poetry in our fates!" She broke into a run again when she saw Sam appear up on the hand beside Higgs, his own battle guitar in hand. "You see that," Higgs boomed, turning to look at the crumbling horizon, "The Last Stranding is almost upon us, cause that girl ain't got no choice, but to accept what's happenin'." He split his guitar in two above his head. "Up close and personal," he continued, "That old familiar feeling... Kept you waitin' huh? You, and me." She was at the bottom of the structure now, no longer able to see them but she heard Sam's response. "It ain't over yet," he hissed, "Go easily, stop this, for the memory of Elle. She's on that ship, still cryin' over you!" Higgs roared at the mention of Elle's name. "You shut the fuck up, Bridges!" he bellowed, "Don't say her name to me, don't ever fucking speak her name to me!" She heard the clash of the guitars, and tried to jump up to the hand, but every time she tried, she felt rooted to the ground. All the chiral energy must have been used by the beach as it struggled to hold itself together, control the BTs. She rested a hand against the structure in front of her, the stone mostly smooth, but she found a few ridges, and few cracks, and she knew that she had to get up there, and so she started her climb.

The climb to the top was punishing, and the whole way she was serenaded by the sound of them tearing chunks out of each other with their guitars. The sounds of them grunting, moaning in pain and exertion, only spurred her on. She had to reach them. "Let's jam!" came Higgs' booming voice suddenly, and she heard him play a tune on his guitar. Another guitar played back to him, and she heard him yell "Hell yeah Sam!" She stopped climbing, panting and rubbing sweat from her forehead, noticing that her palms were blistered and bleeding, limbs shaking. Stopping was a terrible idea, because she looked down. She was so high up, and the thought of falling made her feel ill. She forced herself to keep going, frowning as the sound of their guitar battle continued, Higgs laughing and clearly having a whale of a time. "What the fuck?" she thought, finding the whole situation bizarre. The world was about to end and the pair of them were up there playing Guitar Hero. She heard their melodies coming together, the sound reaching a crescendo, and Higgs laughed again, before the real fighting continued. She saw one half of Higgs' guitar fly off the side of the structure, falling into the ocean below, and she knew she had to get up there faster. She heard them fighting again, close quarters before suddenly it stopped, she heard one of them thrown to the ground. She was so close, only a few more metres to go.

All she heard now was their exhaustion. Swinging the guitars at each other, panting and gasping for breath and screaming insults as they did. "Fuck. You!" Sam screamed. "You ain't shit... compared to me!" Higgs responded.

"Why won't you... die?!"
"You little... son of a bitch"
"You wanna jam... with me?"
"You... you're in MY world now!"
"I'm tired... of your bullshit!"
"You took... my chance!"
"What fucking... chance?!"
"I could've had... a life! You fucking left me there!"
"You didn't... deserve it!"
"I love her... you should have told her the truth!"
"You... should've chose her... over Amelie!"
"You... and Fragile... you should've done more to help her!"
"I'm putting... you down!"

Elle pulled herself up onto the hand, seeing them both now, wearing only their cargo pants and boots, bodies covered in sweat and blood, their faces puzzles of cuts, bruises, black eyes and fat lips. "Stop it," she called out, "Both of you STOP!" Higgs fell to his knees after Sam's last blow, neither of them hearing her. Sam lifted the guitar over his head, preparing to swing it down. She scrambled to her feet, running across the hand and throwing herself between them. "STOP!" she screamed, her body shielding Higgs. "Elle?" Higgs croacked, spitting blood and a tooth out of his mouth. "What are you doing here?!" Sam shouted, grabbing her by the shoulder of her jacket, "Please, please don't do this." Elle shook her head. "If you have to kill him, Sam, you'll have to kill me first," she whispered. Sam felt tears in his eyes. If he went back to the ship without Elle, Fragile would be distraught. "I... You can't ask me to do that," he stuttered, "I can't kill you, you're one of my best friends."

She nodded tearfully, "And you're one of mine," she smiled, "But I love him, and I have no life without him. And if this is where his path ends, then its where mine ends too. If you have to kill him to stop this then... Then I need to go with him. I won't leave him to wander alone again." She felt Higg's hand grasping at her foot. "Elle," he whispered, "Baby, he won. And I can't have you die here." She shook her head, and before either of them could stop her, she snatched the guitar from Sam's hand, holding the end of it under her chin. "NO!" Sam shouted trying top grab it back, but she stepped away, out of his reach. "Stop this," Elle said, looking at Higgs now, "Get her down, stop this now, and then we can stay here together, let Sam and Tomorrow go, let them get back to their life and we can seal this in here with us and it'll be just you and me." Higgs used every last shred of his strength to stand, his own guitar slowly sliding off the hand and down into the burning abyss below. "Elle, baby, put it down," he said, stepping towards her, "You deserve to live, you need to be away from me. I've failed again. I've failed at everything I've done. The only thing I ever got right was meeting you, getting to know you. Even in my darkest times, I've remembered you, I've tried to make good choices so many times because I wanted you to be proud of me, to see that I was trying to help humanity, but I just disappointed you every step of the way. It's my time to go now, I think. This time for good. But thank you, baby, its not lost on me that you always saw the old me... back when I was worthy." He was infront of her now, and tears were spilling down his cheeks, despite the smile on his face. He jumped then, blinking out of sight for a second, taking the guitar with him and throwing it off the edge. "I won't let you die here, you're too good. You're too good to rot here." He looked at Sam then. "Sam... take her," he whispered, "Take her away from here, take your little girl as well." Tomorrow's chrysalis descended to where they stood, and she gasped as she stepped out of the confinements, rushing to Sam. "You take care of my girl," Higgs said to Sam and Tomorrow, "Make sure she moves on, make sure she has a life away from me, and does something good with the time she has left." Elle shook her head and ran at him, throwing her arms around his neck. "I'm not ready, I'm not ready, I'm not ready to go," she sobbed against his chest. He held her in a crushing embrace, trying so hard to keep it together. He pulled her back, hands holding her face as he looked into my eyes. "God damn, to look at these eyes one last time... now that's a face worth dyin' for," he whispered, and he pushed her back. Tomorrow grabbed her and together, the three of them were sucked back to the ship. The last thing Elle saw was Higgs' sad smile, and a wink, then a flash of light behind him, before he was replaced by the crew on the Magellan.

Chapter Text

"Let me go!" she screamed, thrashing in Sam's arms as he held her close, both of them still laid on the floor of the Magellan bridge where they'd landed after the jump that Higgs had used to push them back to the ship, "Let me out, I can still be with him!" Her face was red, angry, her voice hoarse from screaming and sobbing. "Elle, stop!" Sam shouted using all of his strength to try and restrain her, "He wanted you to leave, he wanted you to live, live for him!" But she couldn't stop. She'd come so close to stepping into eternity with him, making sure he was never alone again, only to fail at the last hurdle. She knew if she tried hard enough, if she could get out of the ship, she could get back to him in time to hold his hand as they crossed over together. "It's not his decision to make," she screamed, "It was my choice, he doesn't get to fucking choose for me, not after everything he did!" She felt more hands on her then. Die-Hardman and Tarman bending to scoop her out of Sam's arms and move her into one of the chairs, strapping her in. She tried to jump, but all her energy had been spent. She was incoherent, screaming and sobbing, snot running down her face, endless tears dripping from her chin, hands covered in blood - both her own, from the climb, and probably a mixture of both Higgs and Sam's blood, splatters of each other covering their bodies. Rainy ran to Tomorrow, pulling her into an embrace. "We've got to jump back now, do you think you can do it? Do you have the strength?" Rainy asked Tomorrow, who nodded quickly. "Wait, where's Fragile?" Sam shouted, noticing Fragile was absent. "She followed after Elle," Die-Hardman said quietly, "Please tell me she caught up with you?" Elle wailed again. No. This couldn't be. She'd lost both Higgs and Fragile in one go. Sam paced the room, cursing under his breath. "I have to go back out there, I have to find her," he shouted. "No, Sam," Tarman said, "She told us if she didn't get back by the time you got back with Tomorrow, we had to go without her." Sam shook his head, punching the wall in a rare display of rage.

"Wait," Heartman shouted, "Someone just jumped on to the ship." They all went quiet, apart from Elle, who's cries still rang out on the ship. "Relax, its me," came Fragile's voice from the doorway, "Had to make a quick detour to pick something up that I didn't want to lose." Rainy and Tomorrow gasped, whilst Die-Hardman and Tarman exchanged looks of concern. Heartman leaned forward to catch Elle's eye, nodding to the doorway. When she turned, she saw Fragile, damp hair clinging to her face, clothes streaked with tar. But it wasn't Fragile who made Elle's heart stop. It was the man at her side, swaying slightly, wrist caught firmly in Fragile's grasp.

Higgs.

Alive.

Elle's body reacted before her mind could catch up. A guttural sound ripped from her - raw, primal, wordless. A scream that shook the air, a sound dragged from somewhere deeper than her soul. It wasn't horror, or fear. It was relief so violent that it bordered on pain. He looked up at her through the mess of his hair, battered, hollow eyed, but alive.

The room went still, as though every breath on board the Magellan has been stolen all at once. Elle was still shaking, her scream of relief still echoing in the bones of everyone present, when Fragile dragged Higgs further inside the room, shoving him into the centre of the group. Sam looked at Fragile and nodded, agreeing with what she'd done. Rainy and Tomorrow exchanged a knowing look, both of them fully investigated in the Elle and Higgs story, both always secretly hoping he would come through for Elle. Die-Hardman's eyes narrowed, suspicion sharpening his jaw. "Fragile, I hope you know what you're doing," he hissed sternly. Fragile nodded and held up her hands. "I know what this looks like," she said, her voice even and tight, "And maybe I should have let him rot on that beach. God knows he's earned it." She glanced at Elle, still strapped into her seat, and Sam moved to untie her. "I saved him for my sister, because she... she made me believe people can change. She's been saying it all along. Fighting for it. And he stopped the Last Stranding for her, even when he'd tried for so long to do it, he stopped it because of his love for her. He went against his nature, everything he's been for so long, for her." The weight of her next words dragged at her shoulders. "So... against my better judgement, I wanted to give him a chance."

The silence that followed was heavier than the tar outside. Fragile's gaze swept the crew, lingering on Sam, on Elle, then back on Higgs. "I don't know if I've made a terrible mistake, I don't know if saving him was mercy or damnation... So Higgs, my promise to you is, if you fuck up again..." Before she could finish, Elle stood up. "I'll kill him myself," she whispered, rushing forward to throw her arms around his neck. Her breaths came in ragged gasps as she clung to him, and he held her back. The crew exchanged glancing, ranging from concerned, apprehensive, and a few that seemed genuinely happy for Elle. She pushed back suddenly, remembering how he'd pushed her away to die alone, and without thinking, she slapped him across the face. Higgs' eyes widened, and the crew all looked just as shocked as the crack of her palm on his face reverberated around the room. "You bastard," she choked out, her voice breaking, "How dare you - how dare you try to make me leave without you!" A ghost of a smirk tugged at his lips, though his eyes betrayed something more fragile underneath. "I was happy with my choice," he whispered, stroking her face gently, "I had to know that if I couldn't do it, that you still lived on." She shook her head, hands gently hitting his chest until he pulled her back close to hold her, one arm tight around her waist, the other holding her head against him, kissing the top of her head.

"That's enough for now," came Tarman's voice of authority, "We need to get the hell off this beach. Fragile, Elle, take Higgs to Elle's room, he can wait there till we're back in the safety of the real world, and then I'll see him in the med bay." Fragile and Elle nodded, and Elle took Higgs' hand, leading him to her room. Fragile opened the door for them, and Elle ushered him in. "Wait here," she whispered, "I'll be back before you know it." He didn't turn round, instead just stood there, staring at the wall ahead of him, arms slack by his side. When the door closed, and he was satisfied she was gone, sobs wracked his body. He couldn't believe, after everything he'd done, it had been Fragile who had pulled him out.

***

Back on the bridge, Fragile looked around the room. "There's something else," she said, her gaze lingering on Sam and then Tomorrow, "There's something I haven't told you. When Higgs caught up with me, that day at your shelter, when I thought i'd lost Lou... that she was dead. It wasn't me that made that first jump, the one before I lost her. She pulled us out. Connected us to those poor lost souls. And at the time, being with them seemed safer than bringing her back with me, so I decided to leave Lou in their care. But afterwards, after I'd reappeared, after Higgs shot my arm and I escaped again, I lost all memory of what I'd done with Lou. The only thing I could remember was that I'd lost her. It wasn't until the moment we arrived at this beach that I finally remembered... About Lou, about the jump... About everything that had happened. It's my fault that you never got to watch Lou grow up - me who stole all those precious years." A tear rolled down her cheek, "I'm so sorry, Sam. I can't give you back the time you've lost, but promise me, you'll make the most of your future with... Lou," she gestured to Tomorrow, who had tears streaming down her cheeks, looking at Sam. Elle looked at Fragile, shocked. "All this time," she breathed, "All this time and she was here with us all along?" Fragile nodded. Tomorrow walked towards Sam. "I remember now," she cried, throwing her arms around him. He held her tightly, and Elle reached out to grab Fragile's hand, squeezing it as they shared a look of love for one another. "Thank you," Elle mouthed to her. Fragile smiled, tearfully, pulling her into a hug. "If you ever run off like that again..." but she trailed off, both of them giggling. "The journey the two of us went on together," Tomorrow continued, "You and me... dad" Sam smiled, lifting her arm to find the little heart shaped birthmark she'd had in the pod. "Lou..." he whispered. Tomorrow nodded. "We will always be connected," she smiled, "I'm your Louise."

***

Once the shock of these two huge revelations had settled, Die-Hardman moved back to the centre of the room. "Everything is set for us to make the jump back," he said, "We've been able to chart the course back to Australia, so it won't be as big of a strain on Fragile or Elle to jump back, but we'll still need everyone to focus their powers. Positions, everyone." The crew settled into their seats, and as they were all leaned back, ready for the jump, Elle felt relaxed for the first time in a long time. She felt herself fall into a dream-like state as the Magellan made the descent into the sea, down through the tar and back up through the ocean and into Australia again, where they settled the ship just outside of Terminal Fort Knot. Once everyone was awake again, Tarman approached Elle. "I'm going to go and prepare the med-bay," he said to her quietly, "Bring Higgs. No doubt he'll need checking over after so long on the beach, and coming back out here is going to be overwhelming for him. Might be a bastard, but I suppose he's our bastard now, so I want to make sure he's OK." Elle nodded and smiled, grateful for this kindness.

Higgs was exactly where she'd left him, still standing in the the centre of the room, hands hanging uselessly by his sides, shoulders slightly hunched. He hadn't touched the bed, hadn't moved an inch. His eyes were fixed on the floor, though he looked like he wasn't truly seeing anything at all. She could practically see it - the shame, the sense of failure, he embarrassment and the feeling of not belonging - rising off of him like heat waves. She approached him slowly, walking around him to stand face to face with him. He couldn't look her in the eye, so she gently took his hand. "Come on," she said softly, as if coaxing a frightened animal, "Med bay. We need to check you over." He followed her without protest, steps stiff, like his body wasn't used to real weight anymore. The bright lights of the med baymade him squint, and when she guided him to the cot, he sat down carefully, his fingers gripping the edge of the mattress as though afraid it might vanish. Tarman was waiting, and gave Elle a nod. "Let's have a look at you, shall we?" he said, voice calm, steady, practical. He began poking and prodding at Higgs, shining a light in his eyes, feeling for lumps around his jaw, throat and shoulders, dabbing salve onto the deep gashes on his chest and arms, the cuts on his face. The whole time, Higgs didn't lift his head. Elle stayed close, still holding his hand.

"Elle, can you step outside, give us a minute?" Tarman asked gently, not unkindly. The moment she tried to let go of Higgs' hand, he startled. His head snapped up, eyes wild, clutching her wrist, a rough sound tearing from his throat, not quite a word, more like a cry. "Hey, hey," she said quickly, her other hand covering his, "It's OK, settle down. I'll be right on the other side of that door, I'm not leaving you." He clung on for a moment longer, then let go with visible effort, his hands falling back to his lap. Elle looked at Tarman, who gave her a reassuring nod before she left the room, the door hissing shut behind her.

Inside, Tarman pulled up a stool and sat in front of Higgs. "You been feeling sick at all? Stomach feel off after the jump?" he asked. No reply. Higgs just stared down at his hands. "Any pain, dizziness?" Still nothing. Tarman let the silence hang before speaking again. "Listen, son" he said, quietly, "I can't begin to imagine what it was like out there. Trapped like that. And I know you're carrying a hell of a lot of weight - guilt, shame, failure. You wouldn't be human if you weren't." Higgs' shoulders hunched tighter, hands gripping his knees. "Truth is, the world's not gonna forget what you've done," the old man continued, "Neither will this crew. You've hurt people. A lot of people. That doesn't just wash away. But here's the other truth: you've got something worth while now. More than worthwhile." He tilted his head at the door. "You've got a woman who loves you. And Elle... she's one of the strongest people I know. Doesn't take shit from anyone, and yet look what she did for you. She was going to die for you, even when every voice on this ship was telling her to forget about you." Higgs shifted uncomfortably. "That tells me something," Tarman went on, voice steady and patient, "Tells me that underneath all the fire and destruction, underneath the bad choices... you must be someone worth fighting for. She wouldn't risk herself like that otherwise. So, son... don't waste it. Don't waste her again." The silence stretched again, but this time it was different. His hands eased their grip, fingers trembling slightly as if he were finally letting himself breathe.

Tarman decided to change the subject there. He stood up and began tidying away the swabs, the medication and the utensils he'd used on Higgs, his tone taking on a more cheerful tone. "Life on this ship isn't easy, you'll find out soon enough," he said, "Long days, cramped quarters, everyone up in everyone's business. But theres a rhythm to it, a family sort of rhythm. Meals together, work details, the odd fight over who used too much water in the shower. Its messy, but its ours. You put in the effort, you belong." Higgs' head tilted slightly, listening to the way Tarman explained life on the ship giving him a sense of hope. The old man continued, "Rainy will probably try and rope you into fixing something, she'll test you and make sure you pull your weight. Tomorrow, or Lou, will probably follow you around asking questions, seems that's all she does, asks why this, why that. She's curious and its best to humour her. Fragile will watch you like a hawk for a while, but don't let that spook you. It will take her some time to trust you again. And me, I'm sure I'll find work for you. And Elle... well, she'll keep fighting for you, even when you don't think you deserve it. That's who she is. Don't take it for granted, son. That kind of devotion is rare and doesn't come around often."

The word 'son' landed again, heavy in the silence. Higgs' shoulders lifted with a ragged inhale, hands flexing like he didn't know what to do with the strange warmth settle in his chest. Tarman sat back down in his stool, studying Higgs' face. "I'll tell you what else," he said, "Ship life - it can heal you, if you let it. Might not look like much, this floating tin can, but its saved every one of us in one way or another. Could save you too, if you've got the guts to stay." He let the words hang, not needing an answer. He wasn't lecturing, just filling the silence with something human, something steady. And for the first time in what felt like forever, Higgs listened to someone other than the voice inside his head.

"You really think I can change?" Higgs asked. It was barely a whisper, but it hit the air like a confession. Higgs kept his eyes on the floor, still unable to make eye contact, and Tarman leaned forward, forearms on his knees. "I do," he said, "But not because its easy. Nothing worth a damn ever is. Change takes time, effort, consistency. You can't just wake up one day and decide you're a different man. You have to fight yourself for it. Every. Single. Day. And I'll tell you something else," Tarman continued, his voice steady as stone, "I heard about what you said to Elle, back when you were trying to shove her away. Those words you threw at her - ugly, cruel. But you know what that tells me?" Higgs swallowed hard, shame creeping across his face. "It tells me that you knew. You knew exactly where the line was. You knew what would cut her deepest, and you did it to keep her safe from you. Cruel to be kind. A dead giveaway, son - if you had no conscience, you wouldn't have bothered, you'd have dragged her into the dark with you." He stood up then stepping in front of Higgs and jabbing a finger into his chest. "That tells me that there's still something decent in there, tucked away, hiding. You wanted her to be spared, and i think, deep down, you wanted her and Sam to stop you. If you've got the strength for that, then you've got the strength to claw your way back to being a good man again." Higgs felt his lower lip quivering, and Tarman put an arm around his shoulders, pulling him into a fatherly embrace. It was the first time Higgs had ever come close to having a father figure, and whilst grateful, he felt like he didn't deserve this kindness. "Elle sees good in you, and I'm sure with her example, we will all see that soon too. Let that guide you, Higgs. Let her be the light at the end of your tunnel."

Higgs took a long, shaking breath. "I don't deserve her," he whispered. Tarman snorted. "Son, none of us deserve half the good things we get in life. But we try to live up to them anyway. That's the fight. That's the work. And if you stick it out, you'll surprise yourself." Higgs nodded and tried to give a small smile to Tarman, who clapped him gently on the back before walking over to the door. He opened it, gesturing for Elle to come back in. "He's going to be fine," Tarman smiled, "Just needs rest, a bit of TLC and... he could probably do with a shower and a change of clothes." Elle nodded, reaching her hand out to Higgs, a kind smile on her face. "Come on," she said gently, "Lets go get you cleaned up."

Wordlessly, he took her hand and allowed her to lead him out of the med bay and to the bathroom. She closed the door behind her then turned to him. Silently, she removed his gloves, then crouched to take off his boots and socks, one foot after another, and finally pulled his cargo pants down until he was standing in the middle of the bathroom, naked. His body was covered in bruises, scars both centuries old and new, dried blood, dry skin and fresh cuts and grazes. She removed her own clothes next, none of this about modesty or seduction. She just wanted him to feel less vulnerable, show that they were there together. She guided him into the shower, warm water cascading down over his head, his shoulders, running down his legs and washing away thousands of years of salt, sand, sweat and grime. She worked soap into his skin and his scalp, her hands moving slow and gentle, and she felt all of his tense muscles relax. When she dragged her nails through his scalp to work up a lather in his matted her, he leaned his head into her hand until she was almost cradling it. He felt wholly undeserving of her care. Every touch was a reminder of what he'd been missing out on the whole time he'd been on his fool's errand.

Once she was satisfied, and the water running off of him was clean and clear, she switched on the driers in the shower and watched as the air gently dried him off. She then led him out and set to work on dressing him. Soft cotton socks and underwear first, and a cotton vest, followed by new cargo pants, a pair of slippers that Rainy had grabbed a schematic for, fabricating enough pairs for everyone on the ship and a few spares. Next, she pulled up a stool and motioned for him to sit. "Shall we get rid of this mop," she asked, gently running a hand through his hair. He nodded silently, and she pulled up another stool, placing herself between his legs as she set to work with a pair of scissors from the first aid kit. The strands fell in soft tufts, piling on the floor around them, until his hair was cropped back to the familiar style he'd worn once, long ago. She trimmed his beard down too, leaving the rough stubble that was uniquely him. The whole time, she chewed on her lip as she worked. "You always bite your lip when you think hard," Higgs said quietly, startling himself with the smallness of the observation and the fact that he wanted to say it out loud. She smirked, brushing stray hairs from his shoulders. "And you always feel the need to point it out like its something new every time I do it," she giggled.

Once she was happy with her work, she stroked his cheek gently. "There," she said, smiling in a way that made something unclench in his stomach, "I knew you were under all that hair somewhere." He reached up to hold the hand still stroking his cheek. "Elle..." he whispered, "I love you. I don't know how to be enough, but I'm going to show you every day that I'm trying. No more stupid stuff." She nodded and smiled. "Good," she said, "Because I meant what I said. If you fuck up again, I'll kill you myself." He leaned close, his foreahead nearly touching hers, and whispered, voice raw and hoarse: "Thank you."

It was only two words, but they carried everything he wanted to convey to her. Not just gratitude for the shower, the clean clothes, the haircut. Not the small mercies she'd given him that night. He meant all of it. Thank you for not letting him die. Thank you for fighting for him when he didn't deserve it. Thank you for never letting go of him, even when he was poisonous. Thank you for still standing there, loving him and choosing him despite of it all. Elle studied his face, and closed the distance, resting her forehead against his.

They'd stopped the Last Stranding, thanks to a team effort. The world was saved for now. But in this moment, she knew with certainty that she'd saved him.

Chapter Text

The weeks that followed went by in a blur. The crew had stationed the Magellan close to the plate gate, back on the Australia side, continuing to serve the continent with deliveries, helping clear out brigand camps and helping to keep everything stable in the network. Sam was training Lou to be a porter, taking her out on odd deliveries, getting her strength and speed up, sometimes just taking her out to run around with heavier and heavier loads on her back to get her strength up. Sometimes, Elle would take her out, and she helped her with the logistical aspect of being a porter, such as proper route tracking and teaching her how to plan ahead. Die-Hardman had departed the ship, but had told Fragile on his departure that he would be on hand to support if there were any issues with the crew's newest member. Following the containment of the Last Stranding, Rainy had given birth to her baby, a daughter, and so the Magellan was full of baby toys, formula, and the sound of constant cooing as everyone passed her around, shouts of "my turn!" always being heard.

For the first few days on the ship, Higgs barely left Elle's room, only stepping out to use the bathroom, Elle bringing food to him. It took a week and a half for him to pluck up the courage to join the crew for breakfast out on the bridge. Elle was already there, and noticed as the room went quiet. She cleared a seat beside her and gestured for her to sit down, and he hurried over, avoiding eye contact with everyone. They both knew it was going to take time for the crew to warm to him, or at the very least, tolerate him, and she squeezed his knee encouragingly. "Nice of you to finally join us," Tarman said, not unkindly. Higgs nodded to him, taking a plate of toast that Elle was handing to him. "How have you been feeling?" Tarman pressed, handing Higgs a flask of coffee. Higgs looked to Elle, as if needing permission to talk. "She's not the captain, its me you should be looking at," Fragile said, side eyeing him, but smirking wickedly at the same time. Elle flashed her a look of warning and shook her head. Higgs cleared his throat before speaking. "I, uh... I'm alright," he said, quietly, "Just gettin' used to being in reality again, its... been a little weird." Rainy leaned forward, smiling, "Its good to meet the version of you we've heard so much about from Elle," she said. Higgs looked to Elle and back to Rainy. "What version is that?" he asked, raising his eyebrows. "The one where you smiled at the sky and pointed out pretty mountains," Rainy said, giggling, "Sounded dreamy compared to the... big red robot thing." Higgs snorted, rubbing the back of his neck, face flushing slightly. Lou piped up next, "I remember you now," she said, studying his face, "Are you the one who licked Sam's face?" Elle couldn't help but laugh at that, watching his face go an even deeper shade. "Not just Sam's," Fragile smirked, raising her hand. "You licked my sister's face?" Elle laughed, and Higgs flashed her a look that said he hoped she would drop it. "Guess I deserve this," he winced. "Can we put you to work now?" Tarman asked, pulling a report up on his screen, "Nothing major, I just need the engines checking over, I'll take you down and we can have a look together, make you useful now you're venturing out... What do you say?" Higgs looked at Elle again. "I don't know why you keep looking at me," she said, taking a bite of her toast, continuing with her mouth full, "I'm not your keeper. It would be good to see you up and doing something though, I can tell you're getting cabin fever, and you do need to start pulling your weight." He held his hands up in mock surrender. "God damn, say what you really mean," he mumbled, before turning back to Tarman, "I don't know much about ship engines but I'd be happy to learn." Tarman nodded, standing to lead him from the room. Heartman, sitting quietly in the corner, excused himself to go take a shower and Sam mumbled something about making a delivery and left the room too.

As soon as the men had all left the room, Rainy and Lou leaned forward, eyes hungry for gossip, and Fragile sat back in her seat, smoking a cigarette but clearly invested in the conversation too. "So..." Rainy said, wiggling her eyebrows, "Have you two.... you know...? Yet?" Lou laughed and Fragile shook her head, rolling her eyes. "Jesus Christ, Rainy," Elle exclaimed, "Bit personal, don't you think?" Fragile snorted. "That's a no, then," she laughed. It was true, Higgs had barely touched her since she got him back. She knew it wasn't because he wasn't interested in her, of course. He was still suffering with shame, and the few embraces they'd had, he'd held her like she was a priceless artifact unearthed from before the Death Stranding. Sometimes, she'd wake in the night and he would be watching her sleep, tracing her features gently with his finger tips. He'd given her the odd kiss on her forehead, or pulled her into brief embraces, but other than that, he'd been distant in terms of intimacy. And it was killing her. She was feral for him, and all she wanted was for him to sweep her off her feet and take her, like he had the first time she'd gone to his beach. Sometimes, when he left the room to take a shower, she'd find her hand reaching under the covers, imagining it was his hand slowly bringing her to her climax, but it was never enough. She'd thought about saying something to him, gently mentioning that she wanted to make love to him, but she didn't want to frighten him off, make him feel uncomfortable, or sound to desperate. Instead she suffered in silence, watching him, wondering if it was possible to put her thoughts in his head, drop in the images she had swimming in her mind of him, his body on top of hers, his hips grinding into her, her legs wrapped around him, fencing him in. But alas, there was no DOOMS ability for that.

"No, nothing yet," Elle said, trying and failing to keep the disappointment out of her voice. Lou sighed, "Maybe he's just trying to be a gentleman?" she offered. "A gentleman?" Fragile laughed, "I don't think chivalry is a concept known to him." Elle shook her head, "What am I supposed to do?" she wailed, "I want it so bad." Rainy giggled, and Lou went red. Fragile put her hands over her ears. "I don't need to hear this," she laughed, wincing comically. "You need to make it obvious," Rainy said, smirking, "Start saying sexy things to him, walk around your room naked, maybe smack him on the arse or something... He'll get the hint eventually." Elle laughed out loud. "I can't do that!" she hissed, "I would like to keep some of my dignity, you know?" Lou smiled dreamily, "You should write him a letter," she said, "That's what people did back in the old days."

"Oooooh, thats a good idea!" Rainy said, clasping her hands together, "Or, why not write it in your journal, what you want to say to him, and then you can practice?" Elle shook her head, standing up from her seat. "Look, its too early for all this talk," she said, making her way to the lift to the hangar, "I've got a delivery to make - a little wombat's been spotted not too far from here, and there's timefall expected in the next hour or so. Gonna go grab the little guy and get him to the Animal Shelter." She wiggled her fingers at the girls, before leaving in her tri-cruiser.

Over the next few days, she decided to try her hand at seduction techniques. When sitting in the bridge, any time Higgs looked at her, she made intense eye contact, looking away before slowly bringing her gaze back to him, looking up at him through her eyelashes. "You alright, darlin'" he asked the first time she did it, "Have I got something on my face?" She cursed under her breath. How clueless could he be? A few days later, when they were asleep in bed, she pretended to move in her sleep, rubbing her ass against his crotch. He simply sighed and turned over, mentioning the next morning that she needed to stop eating too close to bed time, because she was moving a lot in her sleep. She rolled her eyes and shook her head. Next, at breakfast, she tried to sit down but Rainy jumped into the seat next to Higgs, and Lou put her feet up on the only other spare seat, deliberately. Fragile tilted her head at Higgs and then tapped her lap. Elle nodded, catching the hint, and picked up some breakfast before walking over and sitting in Higgs' lap. He put his arm around her waist and smiled at her. "Here, sweetheart, you take my seat," he said, politely, standing to let her take his seat. Fragile laughed, not as quietly as she thought she had. Sam looked up. "What's funny?" he asked. She just shook her head, and Elle felt her cheeks flushing. Her ring terminal flashed, and she looked to see a Social Strand message from Fragile that simply said "Try harder" with a winking face emoji.

in the hangar a few days later, she found Higgs checking over the cargo in the back of one of the pick up trucks ready to go out. "Oh, let me squeeze by you," she whispered, and instead of walking around him in the huge space available, she forced herself in between him and the truck, pressing her ass into him as she did. "Damn," he whispered as he felt each of her ass cheeks dragging over him, hands on her hips as she went. She swore she felt something twitch against her ass as she did. Higgs looked around and caught Sam nearby, who had seen the whole thing, eyes wide. "Man, what the fuck?" Sam smirked, walking out of the hangar and leaving Higgs flushed.

Later that day, back on the bridge, Higgs motioned to pass a tablet and stylus pen to Rainy for a report she needed to write up, and Rainy made a scene of pretending she dropped the stylus. "Let me get that for you," Higgs smiled, bending down to pick up the pen. "Pssst," Rainy hissed to Elle, who was standing nearby. When Elle turned, Rainy nodded at Higgs, bent over trying to scoop up the pen, and Elle smirked, reaching out a hand to smack his ass gently. He stood up fast, turning to look at her, eyes wide, a shocked smile on his face. Tarman had seen, and so had Heartman. They exchanged a look with each other, and Higgs turned to look at them. "Did y'all see that?" he asked. Heartman smirked and just turned around, whilst Tarman laughed out loud.

One night a few days later, after most of the crew had gone to bed, Elle and Fragile had stayed up late. "I found these Chiral Beers in Sam's truck," Fragile smirked, holding up two six packs of Chiral Beer cans, "Fancy a drink?" They climbed up to the deck of the ship, the warm night air blowing over them as they cracked open the cans. After some general chit chat, the pair of them drinking the cans way too fast, Fragile finally asked the burning question. "Still hasn't put out yet, then?" she asked, lighting a cigarette and offering one to Elle. She shook her head, at both the cigarette and the question. "Nope," she sighed. Fragile tipped her head back, laughing as she crushed another can in one hand. "You're telling me its been weeks since he came back... and still nothing? Not even a -" she made a crude hand gesture, cackling at her own joke. "Don't remind me," Elle groaned, burying her face in her hands, "I swear I'm going to combust. He's driving me insane, its like he doesn't even notice me when I'm..." she trailed off, waving her hands in frustration. "God, Fragile, I literally smacked his ass in front of the crew the other day, and nothing!" Fragile snorted, nearly choking on her sip of beer from the next can she had just opened. "Maybe he just likes watching you suffer. He is a sadist, as far as I'm aware. Can't say I blame him, you do get this funny little crease in your forehead when you're frustrated" she laughed. Elle shot her a glare, then sighed dramatically. "Do you ever wonder why I put up with him?" she asked.

"Every damn day," Fragile fired back without hesitation, smirking, "What the hell do you see in him anyway? He's a pain in the ass, he's cocky, hes-" "-Really good in bed," Elle cut her off, smirking, "Like, really really good. Like, lets just say he knows his way around a... you know?" Fragile blinked, frozen, then burst out laughing at Elle's smug expression. "Elle! Jesus Christ, don't say that to me, I'm your sister I don't need to hear that!" Elle laughed too, eyes shining, clearly drunk enough to be bold. "What? Its true! I mean, damn, when he gets going, he's like a fucking animal..." "That's enough" Fragile stopped her, holding her hands up, "I'm not ending my night with the mental image of Higgs and whatever the hell he's doing to you in your head." As Fragile stepped back into the ship, Elle leaned back and shouted "Prude!" to which Fragile shouted back "Fuck off!"

She sat down on the deck of the ship, back resting against the hull, and pulled out the battered little notebook in her pocket that she used as a journal, pulling the pencil out of the strap on the spine. Everything was digital these days, but she'd always loved the idea of writing things by hand. She flicked through to an empty page, deciding to journal what she would say to Higgs if she plucked up the courage to come out with it. The pencil hovered over the page for a while, until the words came to her, and then they wouldn't stop coming.

"Higgs... I've had a drink so maybe thats why I'm writing this instead of saying it to you but hopefully it will make sense if I ever stop being a pussy. I want you... not tomorrow, not when 'the time is right' or 'when the stars align' or whatever people say. I want you NOW.

Do you even realise what it does to me, lying in bed next to you, night after night knowing exactly what I could have but don't? You breathe against my neck and I swear I feel my whole body begging me to role over and ask you to take me. And you just... sleep. Or pretend to?

Do you know how long its been since you touched me like you used to? Since your mouth was on me, since I felt you inside me? I don't know how long either, but I know its been too long. I'm starting to think you're doing this on purpose to torture me.

I want you to ruin me, Higgs. I want you to pin me down and make me forget where I end and you begin. I want the weight of you, the taste of you, the way you used to say my name when you lost control. I want to feel how badly you need me, how much you've missed me too.

I don't care if its messy, if its rough, if we shake the whole ship off its balance. I just need you. All of you. No hesitation, no restraint.

... God, what am I even writing. I can't say this to you. I can't say this to him. I just want him to know, if he ever wonders, if he ever doubts... that I'm thinking of him. Wanting him. Every single night..."

She immediately tore the page from the journal and scrunched it up, shoving it into the pocket of her cargo pants. Her face was red and flushed, she was breathing heavy and she could feel she'd started to get wet just thinking about what she wanted to say to him. She shook her head, standing to make her way down to the bathroom, stumbling down the stairs as she went. She stopped at the bathroom to undress and change into pyjamas, throwing her clothes into the laundry basket, before pottering to their room. He was already asleep, his big body taking up the majority of the bed. They needed a bigger bed - the rooms on the Magellan had all been made to be single occupancy, so the beds were singles - maybe a tiny bit bigger and so the pair of them had to squeeze on. She forced herself in, pushing him towards the wall, and he sighed quietly in his sleep. She listened to his breathing, slow, steady, comforting. Sure, he wasn't giving it up, maybe he was being to careful, or maybe he was playing hard to get, she didn't know. But either way she was just glad he was there.

***

Higgs woke up to Elle in the bed beside him, stinking of beer. "God damn," he whispered, climbing over her to make his way to the bathroom to shower before breakfast. On his way there, he passed Heartman, who he remembered was on laundry duty this week. "Oh, uh, Higgs, if I may," Heartman held a hand up and Higgs stopped in front of him. "What's up?" he asked, noticing Heartman was avoiding eye contact and seemed embarrassed, holding out a crumpled piece of paper. "I... uh... Well I always check pockets before taking clothes to be washed and... well... I found this in the pocket of some pants in the laundry basket and... well.... I think the intended recipient was... yourself?" He thrust the paper into Higgs' hand and scurried away quickly.

He unfolded the paper and sure enough, there was his name. 'Higgs.... want you NOW... since I felt you inside me.... ruin me... messy... rough.' He swallowed, his Adam's apple bobbing in his throat as he felt the heat rise up his chest. So this is what she'd been wanting all along. He felt like a fool. She'd been hanging around him like a dog in heat and he'd been completely oblivious to what she was doing. Truth be told, he'd wanted to fuck her weeks ago, but wasn't sure if she wanted him in that way any more. He'd honestly resigned to them having a relationship that was more about companionship, so hadn't let himself hope for anything more after everything he'd done, but now it all started to make sense. "You damn fool," he smirked, rubbing the stubble on his chin. The way she'd looked at him, the way she'd rubbed herself against him... smacking his ass in front of the crew. Well, two could play at that game. He folded the piece of paper and kept a hold of it.

***

Elle woke up, throat dry, head aching, no recollection of the night before other than sitting with Fragile up on the deck. She rolled out of bed, slipping her feet into her slippers and shuffling out to the bridge. "Finally, she joins the world of the living," Higgs called from his seat, seeming more confident that usual. She frowned, wincing at the sound of his booming voice as it affected her migraine. She walked in, heading to the seat beside him before leaning forward to pick up a slice of toast, not realising she was bending in front of him. She felt the palm of his big hand resting on her ass. "Need a hand there, darlin'?" he said, loud enough that others turned to see him caressing her. Fragile smirked into her coffee and Rainy and Lou tittered. "We're eating breakfast, Higgs," Tarman hissed, putting on his best dad voice. Elle sat down in the seat and he moved his hand. Rainy asked her a question, but Elle fumbled over the answer, suddenly very aware of the smirk on Higgs' face as he chewed his food, looking like he'd just won a game.

Later that day, Fragile was overseeing a loading shift, Elle jotting notes on the tablet in her hands, following Fragile through the inventory bay on the Magellan when Higgs strolled by, carrying a crate of special alloys like they were nothing. She felt him stop behind her, body almost flush against hers as he looked over her shoulder. "You spelled 'observatory' wrong," he said, nodding at the spelling mistake, lips devilishly close to her ear. "No I didn't," she snapped, "That's how its spelt." He shook his head, "Uh, uh - its spelt 'ob-ser-va-tory', not 'ob-ser-ver-tory' - its definitely wrong. Here, let me." He put the cargo pod down and wrapped his arms around her, holding one hand over hers that held the tablet, the other hand guiding her free hand to delete the world and type it back in correctly. He exhaled against her neck, letting out a slow hum of satisfaction as he gently pushed his hips against her back, before releasing her and picking the cargo pod up again, whistling to himself as he walked away. Elle could feel the heat rising up her neck and turned to look at Fragile, who'd seen the whole thing, her jaw dropped. "Someone's getting laid soon," she laughed.

Finally, that evening, as the crew were wrapping up the day, Lou wondered out loud about when they might leave Australia and return back to Mexico, or the UCA, or even head somewhere new. Everyone shrugged and mumbled that they weren't sure, but Higgs leaned back in his seat, hands behind his head and a smug smile on his face. "I don't know," he said, loudly, that overly confident tone of his creeping back in, "Maybe 'when the time is right' or 'when the stars align' or whatever people say." Elle snapped her head around, wondering where she'd heard that same phrase recently, and Higgs winked at her. Sam looked at Higgs and frowned. "What are you talking about?" he asked, confused. Higgs just shrugged, "Nothin', just talking shit I guess," and he stood, mumbling that he was going to take a shower.

Elle was sitting cross legged on the bed when she heard the bedroom door open. Higgs leaned against the frame, a lazy grin spreading across his face like he'd just won the lottery. She looked him up and down, frowning. "What's got into you?" she asked. He snorted, lifting his hand to show her the piece of paper he held between his thumb and forefinger. "Y'know," he drawled, "If you're gonna throw your dirty little secrets away, maybe put them in the trash and not the laundry basket... Poor Heartman will never be the same again." Her heart stopped, and she knew her face just drained of all colour. "W-what's that?" she asked, voice almost whisper quiet. He looked at the piece of paper, mock confusion on his face. "This? Oh this is just a little bedtime story," he sauntered into the room, deliberately slow, unfolding the paper with exaggerated care as he cleared his throat. "'I want you. Not tomorrow. Not when 'the time is right' or 'the stars align' or whatever people say. I want you NOW.'"

Elle's whole face went red. She shot forward and tried to snatch it from him, but he held it up out of her reach, laughing under his breath. "Higgs - give it back!" she snapped, trying to climb up his body and pull his arm down. He simply wrapped his free arm around her, pinning her to his side. "Oh, I ain't done yet, sugar," he smiled, eyes sparkling wickedly as he skimmed further down the page. "'I want you to ruin me, Higgs. I want you to pin me down and make me forget where I end and you begin.'" He paused to look down at her, smug. "Damn, girl, you've got quite the imagination, haven't you?" She covered her face with her hands. "I was drunk. It was stupid. You weren't meant to see that," she groaned. He squeezed her against his side, speaking now with mock suspicion. "I suspected somethin' was up. Smackin' my ass like that in front of everyone, rubbing against me when you think no-one's lookin? That hungry look in your eyes?" He leaned in close, his voice a low purr, "But this is somethin' else." She shrugged out of his grip, walking to the door. "Where you runnin' off to, its just getting good?" he laughed. "Shower," she mumbled, and fled down the corridor to the bathroom.

***

Elle's bare feet slapped against the cold floor as she stormed back to their room, body freshly washed, shivering slightly on account of the cold water she'd doused herself in. She didn't hesitate when she reached the bedroom, whacking the door released and marching through it. Higgs looked up from where he was sprawled on the bed, boots off, reading a book that Tarman had given him, his lazy grin started before she even spoke. "Look," Elle blurted, breathless and sharp, "Can we please just have sex now?" He allowed the book to slowly, almost comically, slide out of his hands and clatter to the floor as he grin turned into something feral. "Well, now," he drawled, sitting forward, "Thought you'd never ask."

She didn't let him smirk a second longer, launching herself at him and straddling his hips, crushing her mouth against his. It was messy, desperate - teeth clashing, tongues tangling, their breaths already ragged. He groaned into her mouth, strong hands gripping the curves of her waist and hips, dragging her down against the hard ridge already straining in his pants. "Fuck, Elle," he muttered, biting at her lower lip, "You've been driving me outta my goddamn mind." Her fingers clawed at his shirt, yanking it over his head, throwing it to the side. His hands weren't far behind, making short work of the pyjama top she'd just put on, ripping the buttons as he tore it from her body. He kissed her hard again, then trailed his mouth lower, over the line of her throat, scraping his teeth along her collarbone, then sucking one peaked nipple into his mouth. Elle gasped, arching against him, the sound making him groan, the vibration of his deep voice and his stubble scratching the sensitive skin of her breast making her moan his name as he switched to the other nipple, teasing with his tongue and teeth until she was squirming.

She shoved at his shoulders, forcing him onto his back, and he let her, watching with hungry eyes as she pulled his pants down over his hips, freeing his cock, already hard, flushed, heavy in her hand as she gripped it tight. He watched as she dragged her tongue slowly from the bottom, all the way up to the tip, lapping up the pearl of precum that was already glistening there, a guttural growl escaping his throat as he threw his head back, making her smirk against his skin. "Jesus Christ," he hissed, one fist clutching the sheets, the other tangling in her hair as she took him deep into her mouth. His hips bucked despite himself and she felt her teeth gently scrape against his cock, groaning out a strangled curse. "Elle, fuck... that mouth... I'm gonna...." he hissed. She pulled back with a slick pop, crawling up his body. "Not yet," she whispered against his lips.

In response, he rolled her over onto her back, pinning her wrists above her head, his grin wicked. "Oh, sugar, you think you're in charge?" he smirked, "Not tonight." He pulled her pants off in one yank, dragging two fingers through her slick folds before pushing them inside. Her gasp echoed off the walls, back arching, thighs already trembling. He worked her open slowly, deliberately, thumb circling her clit in cruelly measured strokes. "Listen to you," he muttered, mouth pressed against her ear, "So fuckin' wet for me. You wanted this bad, didn't ya." She writhed underneath him, her restrained hands fighting to be free from his grasp, as he held them above her head with one hand. "So fuckin' bad," she whimpered. He hummed darkly, curling his fingers inside her till she cried out. He pulled his fingers out of her then, raising them to his face to smell her, dipping them into his mouth to taste her, eyes rolling back as his eyelids closed, groaning as though he'd just tasted the nectar of the gods. "Mmm, shit," he groaned, swalling the mouthful of saliva mixed with the wetness he'd pulled out of her. "That good, huh?" she smirked boldly, pupils dilated as she watched him suck her off his fingers. He nodded slowly, his wicked grin spreading across his face again, "So good, sweetheart," he winked, releasing her hands to use both of his own to lift her hips, pushing his cock into her ripe cunt in one hard thrust. The sound she made, half scream, half sob, had him groaning into the air, throwing his head back as he felt the sensation of her muscular walls clinging to him. "Fuck," he breathed, looking down at her, holding still inside her as if savouring the moment, "Feels different, like I'm touchin' you again for the first time."

He began to move, deep and deliberate at first, then faster when she wrapped her legs around him, nails digging half moons into his back, begging him without words. Their bodies crashed together, the bed creaking, both of them gasping, moaning, crying out with every thrust. "You're louder than I remember," he growled, grinning against her throat, biting into her shoulder and she cried out his name, "Whole crew's gonna know exactly what I'm doin' to you, darlin'." She mumbled something about not caring as she gripped at his hair, his face, his ass, kissing his mouth hard enough to bruise, thighs trembling as the pleasure began to coil inside of her.

It hit her first, white hot and overwhelming, her cry sharp and broken as she came around him, pulsing so hard it dragged him over the edge with her. His groan was guttural, his body jerking as he spilled inside her, beads of sweat rolling down his back, chest and forehead as he panted, desperately trying to catch his breath. He looked at her face, not wanting to pull out of her yet, savouring the feeling that he'd missed for so long. "Mine," he whispered, stroking her beautiful face, "All mine." And she didn't argue, just pulled his face down for another kiss, soft and hungry, still not fully satiated, both of them knowing this wasn't just sex. It was a beginning.

From other rooms around the ship, they heard laughter, groans of embarrassment, and a voice that sounded like Fragile's shouting "Finally!"