Squander Not Thy Joys

[Weapon]

As their little island stood untouched among the holocaust of warheads and debris, Bellamy turned to see Kimiko's true face. Shaking in both rage and awe, they looked once more to the conflagration around them—at the burning remnants of everything they'd lost.

"And what's wrong with running? What's wrong with choosing your own destiny!? This is where I should've died, here, with my friends and family. Why? Why!?" They screamed, slamming their small fists against Kimiko's chest.

Kimiko stood still, the hits impacting her chest with little to no force on her end. She looked beyond to the void. "Nothing in this world is written in stone. Nothing fated to be. Deserving and fairness are concepts invented by humans to bring order to chaos."

She waved her hand. Images of Bellamy's comrades in Prometheus flickered into existence—their accomplishments, faces known after Guadalajara's fall, fading in from the black like ghosts given form. "But yet, here you stand. And you have lived, despite the pain. And now others look to you as you once looked to others."

"Look to me?" Bellamy laughed sardonically. "I'm just some fucking kid who wanted to play hero, because of, because of..." They outstretched their arms, doing a little twirl as the world burned around them.

"This path I've chosen, there's no way out but this one."

Even as they spoke, Bellamy saw the imagery that Kimiko had somehow conjured. Exarchs West and With, Commander Freud, Lieutenants Struikas, Hideyoshi, Florence. Even some outside the ranks of Prometheus—the Maquisard Garou, and Heather, Saoirse Keane's daughter—all drifted before them, distant and yet close enough to touch all at once.

"...a part of you knows that isn't true. The part that loves. That laughs. That still feels joy in this life. The part that has found new family."

Kimiko sighed softly, getting closer to Bellamy. She smelled of lavender.

"Don't forsake what you've gained by fixating on what you've lost, B. Your old family, if they truly loved you, would want you to still find happiness. They'd be happy you're still here. And there are people waiting for you to come home."

"They all have each other. They're going to be fine without me, you know?" Bellamy paused for a moment, gazing up at a large chunk of debris hurtling past—the twisted remains of what might have once been a cruiser. "I'm so tired, Psyche, Kimiko. I'm tired of the sorties, tired of watching people die. I thought I could do this but I... I can't. So please, just let me rest already."

They curled up on what little was left of the ground below, making themselves small.

The starboard hangar of an Arbiter blazed towards them, white hot and full of fury. The impact engulfed the island in a flash.

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Recruitment | Task Force Prometheus | ICN FIRESTORM