Chapter Text
Oleander Fallows stood in the center of the desolate Resistance camp, eyes closed and listening closely to the wind whip around her for any other sound or any hint of power. By the time she’d arrived at this camp, they’d already killed any unconverted Gifted. When she ripped the souls from the remaining Resistance members, she’d hardly felt a thing. She channeled the power to her and Atlas, preparing for what was to come.
She’d hoped to make it to this camp before more Gifted were lost, but as with every other camp she’d come to, she was too late. They had spent the last several months on the run, and she was tired of always being a few steps behind them. At least they’d never been able to find her, unable to predict where she might go, where she might lead them. Never coming anywhere near her true Bonds, as they hoped.
If they’d thought her forced Bonded would be able to track her movements, they had been sorely mistaken. Her only solace now was her one true Bonded she’d been allowed to have, Atlas. When he’d first appeared at one of the camps, turned in by his own father for being one of her Bonds, she’d been terrified that one of her true Bonds could be a Resistance member and would hurt her as they all had. But he’d been nothing like what she’d feared, those sorts of Bonded had come later. Back when they thought they could control her through forced Bonds because she wouldn’t give up the names of her true Bonds, and they had for a while they had succeeded. She’d been so beaten down and terrified to resist for the longest time, for fear of what they may do to Atlas if she rebelled too much.
Then they finally had a chance to escape from where they were being held, courtesy of Atlas’ mother. Her last act of kindness for her son, even though she didn’t agree with their Bonding. She never forgave his father for turning their son into Davies to be used as leverage against Oli. They’d been on the run for months, trying to clear out the camps and save the Gifted they could but they’d had little success other than killing the Resistance they found in their way. A few times they’d been spotted by Tac Teams but they’d been lucky to evade them so far. She was pretty sure they only ever recognized Atlas, and probably reported back that he was seen fleeing each of the decimated camps.
Oli knew their luck would run out eventually. With every camp they cleared, their pattern became a little clearer. And the Tac Teams or reinforcements started showing up quicker and quicker. She wasn’t sure what either side made of them, but neither ever seemed particularly friendly when they were spotted. And she was so tired of running, so tired of living in fear. She was ready to face the Resistance head-on, she only hoped she’d survive long enough to see her other true Bonds, just once.
It had been years since she first saw the little pictures in the file at the hospital. She’d never spoken their names since then or even allowed herself to think of them, not even Atlas knew who the rest of their Bond Group was. He’d never asked, he knew the knowledge was too dangerous and Oli had already sacrificed so much to keep their identities safe. But the god bond in her chest burned whenever their names were brought up around her, she cherished every morsel of information dropped in disdain by Davies or his followers. She shuddered at the thought of his name, of what he’d done to her over the years.
“You okay Bonded?” Atlas looked at her worriedly. She nodded once but he didn’t look convinced. He’d been against this plan, preferring to keep his Bonded hidden away somewhere. The longer they’d been on the run, the more he’d tried to push her to find her other Bonds, so they’d at least be stronger together. She’d always refused, it was bad enough in her book that Atlas had been dragged into this torture without her taking the rest of them down with her.
Before he could say anything further, she felt a ripple of power. She furrowed her brow, casting out a net of her power to identify who’d arrived. “Not Resistance. Feels like Tac Teams, which means we need to go.”
Oli sighed, all that planning for nothing. They couldn’t afford to be caught up with Tac Teams when they were trying to set a trap for the Resistance, to lure them to more neutral ground and spare any more unnecessary casualties of her gift. She hoped if she killed enough of their Top Tiered Gifted, that maybe the Tac Teams could start making some real progress against the Resistance. She knew Davies wouldn’t come after her unless he was sure he could take her again, so he’d been testing her limits a bit with any reinforcements he sent after them.
She turned to run the opposite direction from the power she felt, only to freeze. She felt them before she saw them appear, her bond humming in her chest at the approach of her Bonds. A group Transported right in front of her, blocking their escape and clearly spotting them. Her whole body froze as she recognized the men standing before her now, her Bonds and a few others. They were older than the little photos she’d been allowed in the hospital, but there was no mistaking them or the way her bond reacted in her chest.
“Atlas…we need…we need to go. I need you to shield us.” She says through their mental bond, not able to look at him. She couldn’t tear her eyes away from the one good look she’d get at her Bonds in the flesh before they ran again. She looked at each of them, drinking in the sight of her true Bonds standing before her. If only they weren’t looking at her with such anger and disappointment. But if it was the only look she’d ever get, she’d take it. It wasn’t safe for them all to be together in one place like this. They had to go before they were captured or sighted together, it would be their end.
“Sweetness…we both know there’s no outrunning the Dravens or that Transporter they’ve got with them. They can help. We can stop running…find the rest of our Bonded Group.” He replies in her mind, stepping closer to her to shield them both if it becomes necessary. “We can’t keep running, we are both on fumes at this point.”
“Atlas, we can’t…it’s not safe.” She hisses aloud, unable to stop herself. “Please.” She begs, tugging on his shirt, trying to get him to understand the urgency. They might not be able to outrun them, but they could try. It couldn’t end like this. He falters, seeming like he was about to give in when a harsh voice cuts through the air.
“Trying to run away again, Bond.” A derisive voice says. Her eyes shudder closed. This is it, there’s no more hiding it from Atlas. It’s common knowledge the two Dravens, Shore, and Arden are in a Bonded Group missing their runaway Central. She’d been lucky no one put the pieces together over the years, never thinking yet another Top Tier Gifted would be their Central after so many gifts had already accumulated in their group.
“Oli…fuck, Sweetness. This is them?” He asks gently, shifting to cover her more fully. She nods once, squeezing her eyes shut and unable to look at any of them any more. All these years of torture, blown away in a moment.
“Have you been working with the Resistance this whole time, or is that not a Bassinger clutching you to his side?” The voice asks again. Oli takes a steading breath before she opens her eyes, turning to face the person talking. Of course, the feared Death Dealer Nox Draven, and by the tone of his voice, someone who already hates his Central. Not that she could blame him, after everything she’d been forced to do, she hated herself too.
“How dare you,” Atlas hisses out, unable to help himself. “You have no idea what she’s been through to protect you. What either of us have had to endure to survive.”
“Don’t.” She says flatly. “It won’t matter.” Another ripple of power shudders through her, their trap sprung at the worst possible time. “We don’t have time for this, the Resistance are here. And personally, I’d like to make it through the day.” She says flatly to them all. She hugs Atlas close, savoring what might be the last time she gets to hold him. “I’m sorry I didn’t tell you, I’m sorry it's come to this.”
He shakes her head, tightening his arms around her. “It’s okay, Sweetness. I understand. Just make it through to today, don’t let them win.” She nods, unable to pull her gaze away from his face as her bond takes over.