"Alright Dani, ope-" Mathilda was cut off when a huge explosion came other them, catching the attention of everyone, including Dani and especially Elle.

Elle eyes widen as she slowly stood up from her seat. She could feel the piercing pain in her chest as she began to freeze, her breath becoming visible as icicles began to appear from the tips of her fingers and the sides of her face. Niko and Mathilda's cameras turned into static, and their gps were gone from the monitor.

Natsuo immediately caught on and cut his other palm to creat another whip with his blood, ready to cover up Mika. Mika didn't waste anytime to run to her wife, creating metal flight of stairs up to the second floor, She walked into the fire, the heat met with her skin and the smoke hit her eyes. She looked around, trying to catch a glimpse of Niko or Mathilda  "Mathilda?!" 

Mika heard a cough from her right and immediately ran through that direction to see Mathilda supporting herself with her elbow. Mika crouched down, slipping her hand under her her wife's knees and and carried her. "Dani, open the portal!"

"Where's Niko?" Mathilda coughed up. Mika looked around in the hopes of finding Niko to see nothing but the harsh and blinding light of the flames that threatened her eyes.

"We gotta go!" Natsuo said, struggling to fight off the on coming guards as one of them manage to land a hit on his arm. He was getting out numbered.

Elle started at the monitor in disbelief. Are they really just gonna leave him like that? No. They can't. Niko was the reason she's here, the only ticket to continue her stay here. Plus she still needed him for her curse. For her plans. "Bring me there."

Dani looked up at Elle with furrowed eyebrows, before slowly looking back at the the control panel. She wanted to tell Elle that she couldn't go, but she also knew she couldn't just stop Elle. Maybe she was scared to tell her off? Or maybe she's beginning to trust Elle? "If you wanna go, you're gonna be quick about it"

Dani then opened the Telegate to Natsuo who immediately went through with an unconscious guard on his shoulder, before opening the it for Mathilda and Mika. Dani then secretly handed a gun to Elle just in case. She then gave her a cautious look, as if telling her to be careful and good luck.

The moment Mika stumbled through the Telegate with Mathilda in her arms, Elle bolted, running straight through the portal, Ignoring Mika and Mathilda's call for her, in an attempt to stop her.

Elle stumbled into the flames, the fire blinding her and the smoke filling her lungs and hitting her eyes. She called for Niko, looking around in the hopes to spot him alive, even barely. She coughed as she moved forward, debris were falling down, making it much more harder to access certain spots. 

She then spotted a figure sitting on the floor and resting it's back on a table. It didn't take long for Elle to recognize it was Niko with the entirely on his right arm burned. Elle crouched down next to him and had his left arm wrapped around her shoulder.

"My princess became my knight and shining armour." Niko managed to joke despite his condition, his voice her hoarse and weak as he cough his lungs out.

"Shut up and start walking" Elle scolder, helping Niko on his feet. They then walked through the fire. Navigating the Telegate became a challenge, but thanks to it's green light, they eventually passed though just in time. Dani ran towards them to help Elle with Niko, being careful to wrap his burned arm on her shoulder

"Everyone, in the infirmary." 

------

Niko was the one who Elle healed first, making sure she gets every burn healed and not to leave a mark as she had a feeling he'll never shut about it. Niko immediately fell asleep after she healed him, Elle also gave him oxygen through an oxygen mask on him as he was the one who inhaled the most smoke than all of them.

Next one was Mathilda who's burns weren't as serious as Niko was still concerning. Mathilda initially refused to have an oxygen mask on her, but once she was sleep, Mika put on her.

And the Last one was Natsuo with the slashes on both his palms and the gunshot wound on his arm. Natsuo had his eyes on Elle the entire time, making her feel uneasy the entire time she was healing his wounds

By the time she was done, Elle was exhausted and cold. It happens when she uses her ability too much, her body would go cold and freeze. The room was filled with the sound of oxygen tanks, connected to Niko and Mathilda while Natsuo was passed out tired on the far bed of the infirmary. 

Mika was there too, sitting next to Mathilda's bed, sleeping sleeping silently. Dani left long ago and was in the laboratory, at the underground part of the base, working with the powder the Vacille managed to get from the warehouse and the guard Natsuo managed to kidnap.

Elle was fixing up her table when she heard ruffling from the beds. She turned her head to see Mathilda sitting up and taking off her oxygen mask, "You really shouldn't be doing that."

"I'm fine." Mathilda said, placing the oxygen mask while Elle walks up to her oxygen tank to turn it off. Mathilda watched as Elle walked back to her table, looking at the drawers and the small cabinets. 

Mathilda held respect for what Elle did today. Running though a fire to look for someone who's location was unknown. It was brave, yet reckless. An action driven by emotion. As if Mathilda wasn't familiar with it, when she knows it all to well. So she can't exactly criticize Elle for doing what she did despite it being reckless. Cause if Mathilda were in her shoes and Mika was in Niko's, there was no doubt that she'd do the very same thing. "Quite a risk you did back there."

"It was needed risk." Elle nonchalantly replied as she closed the small cabinet before walking to the storage room to get some pillows and blankets. She decided to sleep in the infirmary tonight, to keep watch of her 'patients'. 

It was funny. Elle swore to never be a doctor or a helper due to her dislike of helping people without a reward, yet here she is. The healer of Vacille. If herself from 2 months ago saw her now, she'll laugh so hard that she'd freeze to death.

"What's wrong with you?" Mathilda narrowed her eyes at Elle, who came back from the storage room. She noticed the icicles that were forming at the side of Elle's face and her hand tips that were turning purple an blue. "Your hands were ice cold when you were healing me and now you're freezing."

"It's something from my childhood." Elle simply replied in the hopes of shutting Mathilda off as she placed her valuables from the table to the side, making sure that her pillow comfortably sits on it.

"Oh really? Did you mother accidentally locked you in the freezer?" Mathilda joked, attempting to lighten up the mood.

"No." Elle said without missing a beat, "She tried to kill me when I was six."

There was a moment of silence between them, an awkward silence that lingered for every passing second while Elle continues to move her things before setting her pillow on the table.

"You gotta stop dropping nuclear bombs." Mathilda rubbed the bridge of her nose. Elle didn't say anything and simply fixed her pillow, making sure that it was fussy and comfortable to her standards.

"You know I don't hate you, right?" Mathilda furrowed her eyes brows and looked back up to Elle who was now draping the blanked over her shoulders, making it a comfortable coat, "I just really can't trust you yet."

"I know." Elle walked towards the light and dimmed the lights, making sure to not fully close it. "It's hard to trust when you've been betrayed by Edward Winkson"

Mathilda's eyes widen when Elle mentioned that name. Edward Winkson as a former member of the Vacille and a traitor. He came from the Shelter, and join the Vacille after he 'left.' He had the teleportation ability, which was a huge advantage for the Vacille. He. Dani and Mika built the Telegate, putting a portion of his ability into a Girgouite.

He betrayed the Vacille when they were infiltrating an army base in Frigieo's Islands, which ended with the capture of almost all Vacille members, the remaining where the people inside the infirmary and Dani in the laboratory. "You know him?"

"He's labeled as a 'hero' in The Shelter. Seen him once in person." Elle informed her, walking back to her desk and taking a seat before turning to Mathilda, "I suggest you to take a rest, you and the crew had a fruitful day today."

Mathilda had her brows furrowed but for a different reason. She was a little creeped out that Elle's eyes were glowing dimly. Perhaps one of the side effects of her freezing condition, is what Mathilda came up with.

Nonetheless, Mathilda nodded at her in compliance, laying back on her bed before turning to Mika's side. She then took a hold of Mika's hand, placing it on her cheek as she made it her pillow before resting and falling asleep.

Elle watches Mathilda use Mika's hand as he pillow before her gaze slowly turns to the silently snoring Niko. She was a bit annoyed seeing Niko sleep. How dare he sleep peacefully while she freeze in her desk? Wasn't he supposed to be her portable heater? Elle shook off her childish thoughts, not wanting the feeling of freezing to worsen. Instead she laid her head on her pillow and rested.