44. The End Game

*I'm doing these in the third person because there are WAAAAY too many people to do it in first*

"NOELL!"

Vahn screams out the name of his best friend as she's held hostage in the arms of Damien Giani. Vahn tried to rush forward but Kaiden held out his arm to stop him before he provoked Damien to do something stupid. Finley's father stood on the other side of Kaeden and the trio slowly approached the center of the rooftop where Giani stood.

"Let her go," Kaeden tries to coax Damien but he shook his head. The barrel of his weapon placed to their shivering friend's forehead.

"Don't you mean let HIM go? I'm sure you don't want to anger me when I'm about to put a bullet in this mutants head. The world would be better off with one less of your kind anyway," Giani says and Noells beautiful glowing blue eyes flood with fear and tears.

"Where's my son!" Ashley Grayson called out to the man who struck a devilish grin.

"My loyal guard is bringing him at this very moment," He winks and the rooftop door opens to reveal Finley, Jamie, and Marius.

"Well, well, well. Welcome to the party. I hadn't expected it to turn out this way but I guess it will still work," The prime minister sighs as he toys with the gun and Noell squeezes her eyes shut.

"You're boy toy's not looking so well Mr. Leader," Giani winks and Kaeden tilts his head just enough to see Finley passed out in Jamie's arms without taking his eyes off Giani.

Ashley Grayson turns to his dying son to assess his condition before turning back to the monster before them.

"WHAT HAVE YOU DONE TO HIM!" He screams out in fear and Kaeden's heart turns to ice.

If Finley died it would be his fault.

If Noell died it would be his fault.

What did Giani have up his sleeve?

His question was answered shortly afterward when he nodded to a camera placed before them.

"I believe you have a choice to make Tremblay," he warns with a sinister smile which holds everyone's attention. Kaeden stands before his chosen family and friends. He was going to protect them at all cost.

Giani lets go of Noell, but holds the gun to her little head in intimidation so she wouldn't move, before reaching into his pocket and grabbing a small vile.

"You can have the vile containing the cure that will save your husband," he says and tosses the fragile vile in the air, causing Fin's heart to freeze before Giani caught it in his large palm.

"You can save this useless whore," he points to Noell and then nods to the camera.

"or you can renounce your status as a trans male, state your real name, and tell the protestors to conform to their genders assigned to them at birth and save them both,"

Giani offers and Kaeden takes another step forward.

"Don't do it Kae,"

Kaeden turns to his weakened husband who grimaces at the thought of Kaeden renouncing his identity.

"Don't do it!" Noell calls out to her close friend as he starts to walk towards the camera. His only option.

"Good girl,"  Giani taunts him and he felt like he was going to vomit.

"Tell the world you're a girl, you've always been a girl, and you were just confused. Everyone's confused," He says. Holding the vile and Noell in exchange for the presentation.

"Kaeden please," Finley whimpers but Kaeden ignores his weak calls.

With each footstep he took towards the camera, his heart pounded against his chest. He was about to go against everything he believed in to save the ones he loved. He had to do this. He had to do this for them.

Kaeden reaches the camera and holds out his fingertips to press the clearly labeled record button. But Vahn couldn't take it. He would rather sacrifice his life than see his best friend give up on himself after everything he had gone through.

He would sacrifice himself so the persecution could end and his friend could lead his kind to regain their equality.

He started walking forward behind Kaeden's back and Damien held the gun out to shoot him as where he stood.

"VAHN NO!"

Sonya screamed and Kaeden turned just in time to watch as the gun was fired.

But the bullet never hit Vahn.

Noell was standing with Damien's pistol at her chest rather than her chosen brother's head.

"Oh look what you did! You killed the boy!"

Damien chuckles without remorse and Noell pulls the knife she kept hidden in the lace of her thigh. Unsheathing it and stabbing Giani in the heart with the last of the energy she had left in her. Giani falls to the ground and looks at her in shock.

"It's 'they' mother fucker,"

Noell barks before Giani lays on the floor, bleeding out profusely.

"NOELL!"

Vahn runs up to his little sibling and holds their small body in his arms. The white dress once portraying her innocence had now been stained red as her friends gather around her. Marius looks at the wound but knew the moment he saw it that trying to treat it would be useless.

Unable to speak, Noell searches the small tear stained crowd for Kaiden and finds him, holding out her hand to him. He grasps it as she takes her last shallow breath and looks to Vahn. Wanting her brother to be the last sight she saw as she closed her eyes for the last time.

When she passes, her clenched hand opens to and the vile with Finley's cure rolls into Kaeden's hand who tries to stop his waterfall of tears to focus on Finley. He hands the cure to Mari; who had taken the syringe from Cassie when she fainted, and stabbed Fin with the cure.

Knowing Finley was safe, Kaeden turned back to his fallen family member, his head falls to his chest, and his sobs could be heard for miles.

His suppressor was dead.

But at the cost of his best friend's life.