Vision that focused only on the top most shattered windows.  Hearing that heard none of the screams from the shocked onlookers but just a long, high pitched never ending sound that neither wavered in frequency nor tone.  Feelings that could only be described as numb.

This wasn't real... right?

Despite being knocked around by people that squirmed closer wanting morbidly to see more and by people that were backing away, frightened that there maybe another explosion and that the barrier generator might fail, he couldn't move. He could only kneel there completely shocked by what he had witnessed.

The crowd moved again, pushing him completely over and nearby individuals stepped on his arm, tripped over his legs then blamed him for it. His body cried out, but the sound of his own voice failed to reach his ears. Then as an angry kick came his way, by instinct, he curled up to avoid it, but the resultant pain failed to reach his synapses. Large hands pulled him to his feet as his eyes witnessed a man with a mess of black curls yelling without sound at another man who sneered and pointed at him with contempt. Two thick arms wrapped around him and he looked up at the hard featured man protecting him and finally three words entered his hearing;

"Are you alright?"

Kyan burst into tears, unable to stop the flow of water as it fell from his eyes as reality finally set in. Damien looked worriedly at his angry husband who had been shouting at the stranger that dared attempt to kick their son for being in his way. More Law Enforcement agents began to appear, attempting to control and calm the crowd and a group of paramedics were helped through, while their comrades waited just outside the crowd to see to any injuries amongst them or those successfully evacuated already.

It was chaotic. An angry woman was screaming an enforcer, who was trying to send her on her way if she had no business being here, saying that she had every right to be here to know what was going on! Others were grumbling as they moved further back, but lingered in the area still.

"Sirs," a couple of officers approached the four men, "If you have no relations to Monticello Finance, I am going to have to ask you to leave."

Orion was about to declare their status, he who was the future 'father-in-law' to Dominic Monticello when the angry man he had been arguing with stormed away, purposefully brushing past the ex-soldier Damien and the protected Kyan as if he had a death-wish.

"Ow!" Kyan cried out as a blinding pain shot up his arm and he clutched the limb to his chest. Orion touched it gingerly causing the youth to whimper further and the enforcer suggested that they head to where the paramedics were stationed, Damien agreed with a curt nod.

"But..." Kyan protested as they led him away from the building, away from Dominic. He glanced over his shoulder and tried to pull away, despite the agony it caused him, however Damien's grip was firm as well as sheltering.

"It's okay," Orion tried to reassure him as a paramedic came to see what was wrong.

"But Dominic..." tears began to flow unchecked once more, the pain in his chest was far more agonising than that he felt from his arm which turned out to be fractured. "Tell me that he didn't die! That he's going to be alright!"

"Alright," Orion agreed, all too easily...

*****

A squad of bomb specialists entered the top floor of the building after determining that there were no life signs and no hidden explosives on other floors.  Although there was damage to the floor below this one, the majority of the damage centred here and evidently in the office belonging to Dominic Monticello.  One of the men scanned the floor with the device in hand (which just happened to have a Future Electronic's logo upon the top of it).  The device revealed nothing and produced a message of 'All Clear' to the relieved squad.

"Scan for life signs," the man instructed the device, which immediately confirmed that it had begun to do so.  In truth, the squad expected to find nothing but deceased bodies.  Dominic Monticello was still MIA as was the perpetrator.  Their technicians were still attempting to clear up the static that appeared on all of the security cameras on the ground floor as well as this floor.  With that in mind, they had determined that the perpetrator either used a drone or a carrier to bring the bomb to this floor while obscuring the footage.  More likely, though, it was the perpetrator themselves, otherwise why bother carrying an electronics disrupter in the first place and messing with the recording devices?

"Scan complete," came the digital voice from the device.  "Detecting two life signs.  One life sign is exceedingly weak, recommend immediate application of First Aid.  No other life signs.  No other heat sources."

The squad glanced at each other before rushing forward to where the device indicated the two life signs were. 

Due to the sturdiness during construction phase, the impact of the blast had spared the shell of the building as well as much of the bones.  The windows were the main victim, ceilings, light fixtures and furnishings were the next.  A man and a woman lay in the debris.  The woman was in a serious condition, half of her face had been ruined by the blast, her skin had been pierced by wood fragments in many places and she had lost one of her hands.  She also appeared to be suffering from at least sixty percent burns, though it was likely to be more.  How she was still alive was anyone's guess.  The man was stuck beneath a fallen bookcase; the wooden shelves at all angles over him even as the frame covered him.  His body shimmered with a strange, flickering film that resembled a barrier.

Even as the squad moved to stabilise the woman, they watched as the barrier flickered one last time before it stopped completely and the man began to groan audibly, his breathing suddenly hampered.  Two men of the squad went to lift the heavy bookcase, swearing as despite losing half its weight, what with the books and other objects it might have displayed no apart of it.  The thick shelves were lifted from the man next.

"I don't think she's going to make it," a woman mentioned as she placed the statistic recording device upon the woman's temples.

"Can paramedics bring up a stasis pod?" The leader of the squad called down to his colleagues outside of the building, "A float as well."  The man might have stable life signs, but he was still in no condition to move by himself.  Whatever had protected him from the worst of the blast had not prevented him from suffering light burns and there still could be some internal damage or bruising.

"Roger," came the response.  "I take it that there are survivors?"

"Yeah, one man, one woman," the man answered.  "The woman's condition is deteriorating fast though."

"Understood, the paramedics are on their way."

*****

The last thing Dominic recalled before his vision was lost along with his consciousness, was fighting with Destiny for control of that small, electronic explosive device and her finger touching the tiny button that would activate it. And the first thing he saw was the white ceiling of a white walled room.

He felt as if his mind was playing tricks on him, that he had somehow woken in that space between worlds, even though he knew that was no longer possible. He considered looking to his left to see if Kyan happened to be lying beside him or to look behind him for the Master. But he quickly discovered that he was not able to move. Not his body, not his neck, not even his eyes.  Immediately, he panicked, where was he? If he was not dead and not within the Master's space between worlds then where was he?

Suddenly a voice appeared within his ear.

"Please calm down, Mr Monticello," the voice told him. "You were involved in an incident. You sustained a concussion, minor burns and bruises as well as superficial damage to your eyes and ears. Otherwise you are in good condition, considering. However, we placed you into a regeneration pod to aid your recovery."

Pod? It was then he noticed the glean of plasma glass separating him from that white ceiling and white walls and he suddenly could feel the cool liquid tingling along his skin as it encouraged his natural healing. An oxygen mask was over his nose and mouth so that the viscose solution did not enter his lungs. He closed his eyes which had begun to sting as relief swept over him. He was alive. He was still Dominic Monticello, not Aidan, who returned to the white space of the Master's over and over. He was Dominic, fiancé of Kyan and he was alive.

A few minutes later, the doctors deemed him well enough to be removed from the pod and he was aided out by a couple of orderlies onto a floating hospital bed and his first question to them was; "Where is Kyan? Where is my fiance?"

The doctor smiled, her lips curving warmly as she reassured him. "He and your family are waiting just outside."

"Thank you," he murmured, fighting the tears that threatened to spill from his eyes. He was alive, Kyan was alive. It was not time, in this life, for them to yet part.