"...I'm sorry, what?" Leon said, blinking.
"They don't know. They have no idea that you need more than the Wings of Grimmstol. Not yet at least. So, I couldn't exactly confirm my suspicions with anyone," Arsenio said, "But if anyone would know, it would have been you. Or possibly Callahan, but I can't say for sure if she'd even let one word leave my mouth before killing me. If Manon had all her memories, then maybe her as well."
Leon tilted his head, eyeing him suspiciously, "Even if you didn't have confirmation, you still could have put the idea out there. I'm sure the White Lotus would be willing to hear out anyone if it means their plan could fail. You purposefully didn't tell them. Why?"
Arsenio laughed, "That's a bold assumption you're making, Song."
"You forget," Leon muttered, "I was around you all the time for six years. I practically saw you as a guardian angel for six years, God knows why. I must have been desperate for at least one adult in my life who didn't abandon me or wasn't taken away from me. You might know me, but you forget, I know you as well. You knew about this, and you didn't tell them," Leon scoffed, "Loyalty doesn't seem to be a strong suit for you, huh?"
To his surprise, though, Arsenio started laughing, "When did I ever say I was loyal to the White Lotus? Ah, Song, you really shouldn't assume things like that about me. I don't really care about the White Lotus. Hell, I'd even go as far as to say I hate Julian Rowlock and Diego Hernandez, and they're the ones funding most of the White Lotus's branches. Julian Rowlock is just a mentally unstable brat who's looking for a way to hurt as many people as possible simply because he wants attention. And he learned at a very young age that regardless of whether he does good or bad, people will give him attention if they fear him. Diego Hernandez is a spineless coward just looking for someone to take control away from him. If Xion Liu had killed anyone, it should have been him and not his wife, she was more useful—"
Leon lunged forward and wrapped his hands around the other man's neck, squeezing his fingers and his eyes burned with anger, "Don't you dare talk about that or I will cut you into pieces. Whether it kills you or not, it'll still hurt."
Arsenio put his hands up, "Alright, alright," He sighed, and Leon let go of him, "My point is, I have no intention of pledging any loyalty to people like that. I joined the White Lotus simply because they're the side that's more likely to win. And besides, their goal doesn't seem like a terrible idea to me."
"And what, you think taking away the free will of an entire sector and planning to do more isn't a terrible idea?" Leon asked, crossing his arms.
"Worse things have happened in history," Arsenio shrugged, "Besides if I'm a part of their plot, that means I get spared from the mind control. Seems like a win-win situation to me. As long as I do what they want, I get to watch a whole new world be born."
Leon shook his head, "You're a terrible person, you know that?"
Arsenio raised an eyebrow, "Am I really? Or am I just more intelligent than you lot, who are fighting a losing battle?"
"...I think I'd rather die than be a part of the plan to enslave millions of people," Leon shot back. But for a moment, his eyes flicked over to something on the control panel that was a few steps behind him.
"Sure. But do your friends all share that sentiment? Would they rather die for what's right or would they rather love happily for a bit longer? Did you even give them a chance?" Arsenio asked.
Leon paused. That…Was actually a valid question. If what Arsenio was saying was the truth, then it meant that they really didn't have any other chances. Would they still rather risk their lives than live?
"...I promised I'd save them," Leon said firmly, "I'm not going to break that promise," He tried to take a subtle step back but the moment he did, he knew he had made a mistake as the tile under his foot moved slightly.
"Ah, you didn't think I wouldn't have noticed, did you?" Arsenio asked, laughing, "I was wondering when you were going to make a move to try and use that USB in your pocket. It's like you said, Leon Song. You know me, and I know you. The moment you entered here, you wouldn't leave until you freed these people."
Leon was frozen, but he still let out a sharp breath, "I'm flattered you think that I'm so good that I'd do that."
Arsenio shook his head, "It has nothing to do with being good. You are motivated by your guilt. And you feel guilt so, so strongly, even when it's illogical. You blame yourself for this happening, so you won't be able to leave until you fix it. Oh, also, what you just stepped on there is the trigger for a land mine. If you take your leg off of that tile, you will activate it."
Now Leon's eyes widened, completely still, "What—What about everyone else in this building?!" He asked, "You've got to be bluffing."
"By all means, feel free to step off that tile and see what happens," Arsenio said casually, "But I don't think I need to remind you of the fact that your friends are only two floors below us. Even if they don't die, their injuries will slow them enough for them to be captured."
Leon gritted his teeth. He couldn't move. He couldn't risk it, "Alright, what do you want?" He asked.
"Nothing much, just tell me what is needed to fully unlock the formation. What's the missing piece?" Arsenio asked.
Before Leon could respond though, there was a loud noise from below, almost like an explosion. Arsenio's face turned into something more serious, and slightly annoyed, "Stay here, I'm going to go see what's happening," He said, then paused and looked back at him with a smile, "It's not like you can go anywhere anyways."
With that, he left the room, the metal door of the room slamming shut behind him. Immediately, Leon reached up to his earpiece, "Guys?! Someone, please answer me, what's going on?"
"Oh, you will not believe what just happened, Leon," Fenix was laughing wildly, "Lumina made a chemical lab explode!"
"I didn't know that mixing all of those things would make it explode!" Lumina yelled back, "Leon, where the hell are you?! We just made it outside the building but we're being followed, you need to hurry up—"
"I have good news and bad news," Leon interrupted her, "Or uh…One good news and two bad news. So, good news: I found the mainframe. Bad news: Arsenio has figured out that you need more than just the Wings of Grimmstol to activate the formation. He hasn't told the White Lotus yet but I don't know how long that'll be the case. Now, the even worse news: I'm kind of trapped because I stepped on a land mine."
There was absolute silence for a moment, and then, "YOU'RE STANDING ON A LAND MINE?!" Mina's voice was shrieky through the earpiece and he winced, "W—Well, what the hell do we do?!"
"Leon, have you deactivated the chips yet?" Bella asked.
"No, I can't…I can't reach the mainframe without taking my foot off the landmine," Leon said, his voice frustrated, "Goddammit, I was so fucking close…" He looked out the window—And then froze, "Hey guys," He said, formulating a plan in his head, "You guys are outside the building, right?"
"Yeah, what are you thinking?" Owen asked.
Leon took a deep breath, "Look up to the fourth floor of the building. Can you see two full-length windows with arches at the top?" He asked.
There was quiet for a moment, "Yes and there's only two like those. Are you in that room?" Bella asked.
"Yeah. I have an idea, but it's going to be really risky. Are there any ledges or anything under those windows?" He asked.
"Yes, on the second floor, but what are you up to, Leon?" Lumina asked worriedly, "If you're planning to jump—"
"There isn't any other option!" Leon responded quickly, "Even if one of you could get up here, that still wouldn't mean you could save me. There's a ledge, right? Can someone get under that ledge? This USB is programmed so that it'll disrupt the chips on its own, so I just need to insert it. If I can jump out the window before the explosion goes off—"
"Then you'd be able to get out of there," Bella said, following his line of thought, "Which window? I'll be there to catch you."
Leon leaned over to look out one of the windows, "I'm facing the north wall, and I'm planning to go out the window to my right."
"Alright, that means my left. Everyone else, hold off the White Lotus as long as you can," Bella commanded, "I'm here, Leon."
The blonde boy took a deep breath, "Okay, guys. Wish me luck. And if this doesn't work, I love you all," He took the earpiece out of his ear before he could hear any of the responses and threw it to the side. He needed to focus.
Counting down from three, the moment he hit zero, he dashed forward, only taking his foot off of the tile at the last moment and jamming the USB into the port that he had noticed while Arsenio had been talking. Glancing up at the screen, his heart soared in relief as he saw the large red words.
All Chips Nonfunctional. Deactivation Complete.
He didn't have time to revel in it though, as he heard the ticking coming from the tile behind him. His eyes widened and without hesitation, he dashed straight for the window, slamming into it with his full body force and shattering it.
And then, he was falling, and the intense heat against his entire body told him that if he had been even a few seconds late, he would have been dead. Or as close to it as he could get.
He almost closed his eyes instinctively when he remembered what his plan was, just in time to hit the ledge on the second floor full force, groaning loudly. He'd definitely broken something there.
He tried to stop himself from rolling off the ledge, but with it being a slanted ledge and the wind being knocked out of him, the best he could do was grab the corner of the lege as he slipped off of it, his arms being the only thing holding him up.
Looking up, Leon's eyes widened as he saw a large piece of debris hurtling toward him. He tried to move but he was still injured and the debris was moving too quickly. He cried out as it hit his right arm, not full but still grazing it enough to cause him to lose grip on the building.
"Leon!" He heard a familiar voice from below him. Barely managing to keep his hand gripping the edge of the ledge, he looked down to see long, fiery orange hair and ocean-blue eyes filled with fear and worry.
She didn't need to say anything. If Bella was here, Leon knew he could rest. That he could let go.
Without hesitation, he let himself fall from the ledge, closing his eyes and feeling his stomach drop with the sudden change.
And then there were arms around him and both he and Bella tumbled to the ground. He opened his eyes to see her looking at him, her eyes frantically worried as she looked him over, cupping his cheek to check his face. He smiled a little dopily, "We didn't quite stick that landing, did we?"
"...You didn't even hesitate," Bella said softly.
"Why would I?" Leon asked looking up at her as she stood up, carrying him in a bridal carry, "I trust you. I know you'll always be here to save me when I need you."
Bella was silent for a moment, and Leon had begun to wonder if his possibly concussion-addled mind had caused him to say something genuinely stupid when any thoughts he had were firmly cut off as Bella leaned forward and kissed him.