Mikhail still required a surgery or two. Some shrapnel had penetrated too deep and left Kevlar fibres in his body which had to be taken out. Within my last week there, I went on one mission with Keelan and Rush, Keelan being the acting leader of our squad. It certainly felt off with Mikhail not being there to guide us around but it worked out just fine.

As I glided over the rooftops in the dead of the night, following our car and making sure no one was following us, Rush's voice crackled in my ear.

"Mission complete. It's a clear path from here to the rendezvous."

"I know." I glanced down at the GPS in my hand. "We are only a few more miles out." I rolled my shoulders, my glide swaying a bit as my lower wings flapped to quickly correct me.

"Angel, you get released tomorrow, right?" Keelan asked.

I felt a smile grow on my face. "Day after."

"Yeah!" Rush hooted. "Beers on you!!"

"Hey, hey. Let me get my first pay and then we'll think about it." My parents faces crossed through my mind. "I also have to pay you guys back for the clothes." There were sounds of protest from their side. I lowered my left shoulder, right wings rising as I took the turn to continue following them. The black car glowed under the streetlamps on the empty roads. "Red light ahead. Slow down."

Rush stopped the car as I shifted my lower body forward and came to a running stop on top of a building. My back hurt. Bones clicking and grinding as I rolled my shoulders and my neck.

"How are you doing, Angel?" The dad friend asked.

"I've been flying for about half an hour straight. My back wants to die."

"Few more miles."

"At the speed, you guys are driving, I'd rather get caught again." I ran a hand over my metal collar. I was getting used to it but the metal seemed to irritate my skin whenever I was sweating a lot.

"Moving." Rush announced for my sake.

I sighed, pushing off from my crouch on the ground and running to the edge of the roof. My wings snapped open right as I jumped off. I lost a few metres of height as I righted my body to glide forward again.

"Now, come on. We have to ride slow to not catch any attention." Rush continued, I took a left as he turned his blinker on.

"I know. I know. It's just that there are no police around, or people. Except for the rare jogger or junkie." I wiped off some sweat rolling into my eyes, even the small movement making my glide wobble.

"Just hang in there, Angel. We're almost done." Keelan reassured.

To him, it was almost done. To me, it was fifteen more minutes of agony.

I landed right on the runway as the two took a detour to park the car in a scrapyard. The owner was paid off, it would be nothing but a block of crushed steel and leather tomorrow. I skipped high as my feet touched the tarmac, there was still too much momentum for me to land. I tried again, skipping a bit lower this time and stumbling to a stop. My legs shook as I tried to catch my breath, sweat coated my entire being. My wings easily flapped themselves, not even tired from the long flight. I shrugged to stop them from covering my shoulders. It was warm, they'd make me feel warmer.

I slowly walked over to the waiting jet, it's ramp was sitting wide open. The two pilots were relaxing inside, easily chatting with each other only to cut themselves off as they spotted me. They immediately stood up, tugging their helmets on and heading off into the cockpit. I think they were under orders not to talk to me. Rude, but I didn't care right now.

I slumped into a seat, my hand already tugging down the zipper for the black leather jacket I was wearing. Resisting the urge to fling it aside, I pressed my face into my palms as the cold air from outside cooled my sweat-soaked tank top. Irritation crossed through me as my wings settled over my shoulders again. I couldn't do anything about it right now, my back muscles were screaming in pain. It was best to just ignore them. Footsteps soon reached my ears. In a while, I felt a hand brush against my hair. Rush.

As I'd gotten to know him better, I'd found out that he was a very touchy-feely person. Hugging, patting hands, thighs, shoulders, heads. Not only to me, to the others too. It was sweet, but somehow he always knew when someone didn't want to be touched. He had an uncanny knack for reading people.

I looked up once the ramp closed and the jet started powering up. Keelan was looking through the information we'd just gotten on a tablet, Rush was sitting beside me. I turned my head to him and smiled, he smiled back, reaching out and rubbing my back between my wings. "You okay?"

"Fine now." I rolled my shoulders again. "I haven't done a glide this long in ages."

"I give good massages."

"No, thanks. At this time of the night, there will hot water in my cell. Mainly because no one will be awake to use it."

Rush chuckled. "Once you move into your new place you won't have to worry about that."

"Oh, yeah. I wanted to ask you about the apartments."

"It's great. They've honestly done a lot to keep us comfortable. Double bed in every room, small kitchen, fridge, other appliances. There are shops in the basement to buy any stuff you want, like toiletries or stationery. There is a gym, sauna, pool, even a mess. You'll have to pay a monthly fee for that, it has a fixed menu but the food's pretty good."

I nodded slowly, taking all of that in. "That... That sounds a bit overwhelming."

"It's a pretty good place. Don't worry."

"The place is not what I'm worried about. I'm not worried. I just... It's kind of hard to believe that I'm... I'm going to be finally free."

"I know that feeling." Keelan began, drawing my attention to him. "When you're in one state of being for so long, the idea of being something other than that is almost scary, or dreamlike." He paused. "What you're feeling is a kind of anxiety felt by prisoners before being released. It's something all of us felt before we were set free too."

A weird sense of relief crossed through me, making me smile at Keelan. Atleast I wasn't the only one in feeling this.

We visited a sedated Mikhail on landing. It'd be good to have him back again. Poor guy, he'd really been peppered. That was going to scar a lot. Hey, with all the cuts Dr. Blue had done on me, all of us matched in varying levels of intensity, with mine being the lowest.

After wishing an already sleeping Mikhail, and the others, good night, I headed over to my cell, where others would just be rising as I hit the sack. The heated water felt heavenly in my sore back muscles. I leaned against the door of the cubicle, my forehead pressed against the fibreboard. My wings raised a bit and settled around the front of my body. I was too tired, and I'd rather not waste any time getting them dry.

I closed my eyes for a moment, imagining myself at home. The small cluttered room with a double bed stuffed into it, one cupboard which used to hold both mine and Tristan's clothes, a bunch of rubbish stuffed under our beds because there was no place else to keep it. All the clothes in the cupboard had become mine once he'd been taken away. I hadn't touched his clothes for a year after that, taking solace in his scent that wafted out each time the door was opened.

After a particularly bad day where everything seemed to remind me of him, I'd worn one of his favourite shirts and curled up in it for the night. Then I wore it to work the next day, and the day after, and the rest of days after that. It felt nice to do that, natural. Almost felt like having him back, in spirit anyway. Mom had cried the first day she saw me wearing his shirts. But those shirts were more for me than her. They'd been... They'd been my only support during the times I was working for Maker.

I pulled away from the scope, trying to suppress the rising nausea as I saw the fifth head explode into pieces.

"Well done, kid." I heard Maker's voice in my ear. "To think that none of us believed you'd last beyond the first day."

I tasted bile in my mouth upon hearing him chuckle. A lump formed in my throat and I harshly bit my lip. "Please, boss." My voice was tight. "Please, I can't do this anymore."

"Now, now, Terra." I heard a sip. "Didn't we talk about this yesterday? Hmm? About your mother and father? I mean, you wouldn't want Tristan to return to just graves, would you?"

I squeezed my eyes shut, feeling my breath quicken as my heart squeezed tightly in my chest. "I... I can't anymore. Please..."

"Oh, dear. Are you crying, Terra? I guess that uptight, cement exterior you keep only goes so fa-

"Boss, her scope's no longer visible."

I'd moved away from the window as Maker spoke. Placing my gun on the ground as I pressed my back to a corner. Tears were flowing uncontrollably down my face. My head swam and my stomach felt like lead, I hadn't been able to eat for the past few days. It was hard to get the images of David's body slumped against the wall out of my head. I barely remembered him from kindergarten, that somehow made me feel worse.

I pressed my hands against my eyes, pressing down hard as I continued crying. I could hear Maker cursing at me through the comms. He was talking to Bert now. It wasn't long before the door shuddered with a strong knock, Maker's right-hand man was here to set me straight. I forced my sobs down whimpers as Bert started telling me to open the door.

"Terra, open the door."

"Terra, open the damn door."

"Terra, open the door right now. Maker sent me to check up on you."

"TERRA, OPEN THE DAMN DOOR!"

I jumped in my spot, eyes flying open as the flimsy latch keeping the door shut finally snapped. Bert's signature rings glinted in the dull light as the seven-foot brute stepped into my room. "Terra..." He growled, crossing around furniture over to me.

I placed my hand behind my head, tucking my head in between my knees as I waited for the pain to come. But all he was doing was saying my name, over and over.

"Terra..." He growled again.

"Terra..." What was going on?

"Terra..." Was he okay?"

"Terra?" That's... That's not Bert.

My eyes flew open once again, staring at the wall my bed was set against. My body was curled up, in the exact position in the dream-no, memory. I was coated in sweat. It was exceedingly warm with my wings wrapped around me trying to protect me from the demons in my head.

"Terra? Are you up?"

I started to shift from my curled up position, jumping to an upright one as I felt a hand on my shoulder. My chest heaved at that sudden shock to my system. I was still living in the last vestiges of my memory. Slapping the hand away, my hand immediately rose to protect my face before slowly falling back down as I recognised the two men watching me.

Confusion filled me as I looked up at Rush and Keelan's faces. They seemed to mirror my emotions, with worry thrown in the mix. "What... What are you guys doing here?" I finally spoke, shrugging the wings off my shoulder.

"We..." Rush's eyes flickered to Keelan. "Commander sent us down here to get you."

"Congratulations, you're being released a day early." Keelan threw in, smiling at me.

Surprise replaced my confusion as I shifted to make space for the two to sit, forcing my hands down. They exchanged glances once more before sitting down. "Really?" I ran a hand through my hair. "I can't believe it."

"We're supposed to escort you to your new place. Make sure you get settled in easily." Rush grinned. "Besides, it's still our day off. We can show you around some more."

I was still trapped in my memory. For some reason, the last remainders of dread in my stomach wouldn't vanish as I heard the news. I could feel the excitement in me waiting to bubble up, if only the heaviness in my gut would vanish. Yet I gave them my widest smile. All I can do right now is ignore it. "That sounds great! I can pay you guys back soon enough!"

Keelan rolled his eyes. "Hey, those clothes were a gift. You don't need to pay us back. And the day out was on all of us, Terra. You can relax. We know you'll need the money right now to help your parents move. So, save it."

Warmth filled my belly as he said that. My wide grin lowering into a more emotional smile. "That's... That's kind of sweet. Thank you, guys. I'll buy you all drinks once my parents have moved to Section C."

"Even better idea." Rush winked at me. "Take us to meet your parents. I'd love to eat some homemade food."

I laughed as he said that, finally feeling my gut lighten as I reached out to whack his chest. "Shut up. My mom is not your cook."

I changed into the uniform I'd worm when I first came here. It was still a bit loose on me, but the bagginess helped hide the fact that my back was a bit misshapen under the harness. I rubbed my face as I stared into the cracked mirror one last time. Black hair, green eyes. I'm still me. Nothing has changed, yet everything feels different. All I've been through to get here, on the cusp of my freedom... labs, the Rebellion, interrogations, my period of muteness, meeting these three...

It's been a long journey. It's been a long ride. Yet it's only been a year.

I picked up the shopping bag, the one they'd bought me the clothes in, as I left the room. It was the only property I had as of right now. They were waiting outside, maintaining easy chatter with me as we headed upstairs to Malcolm's office. The guards at my door didn't follow me, I made sure to throw them a wave. I wonder if they'll miss me.

Squaring my shoulders, I took a deep fortifying breath outside Malcolm's office before stepping in. He looked up at me, eyes roaming over my slightly dishevelled uniform.

"Morning, Commander." I snapped a salute in tandem with Rush and Keelan.

"At ease." He replied. "Morning, Private. I assume you know the reason why you're here?"

I swallowed softly. "Yes, sir."

"Good. But I'll tell you anyway. You're being released a day early on account of good behaviour." He sighed. "It's was General Robyn's... suggestion to do so." He doesn't make it sound like a suggestion. "But you're still not fit to be a citizen of Section B yet."

Worry crossed me. I bit the inside of my cheek as I waited for an explanation.

He slid a tablet across the table. "Sit down and fill out these forms. It requires your signature, thumbprint and an audio sample. There will be a picture clicked before you leave which will be going on all of your official identification. When you do head back to your house in Section D, destroy your old IDs. They're useless once these are made." I nodded after each line of instruction. "Now, begin."

I looked down at the tablet as I pulled it into my lap to start filling out my details. Basic biodata. Name, date of birth, parents names, sibling's name...

I paused, halfway into filling out my brother's name. Should... Should I fill it out or not? He's dead. They won't need his details, right?

"Terra?" Keelan leaned over my shoulder, eyes on the screen. "Any problems?"

"It's just..." I looked up at Malcolm watching me. "Do I need to fill out my brother's details?"

"Any particular reason you shouldn't?" He replied, steepling his fingers in front of him.

"He's dead."

There was silence in the room as I said that. Malcolm's blank gray eyes widened in surprise, and then remembrance. He nodded slowly. "I apologise for having forgotten that. In that case, you don't need to fill out his details."

I didn't reply to that, just bending my head again to finish the rest of the form. Living isolated from the real world meant I'd never really felt Tristan's absence in my day-to-day life. I'd already gotten used to it actually, but I'm pretty sure knowing that he's dead would have made a difference in some way. This was not the first time I was feeling the hollow space he'd left behind in me. But this was the first of many where I would feel the hollow space he left in my world.

Placing the tablet back on the table, I stood up. "I'm done, sir."

Malcolm pulled it to him, the screen flipping to match his cone of vision. He scrolled through the entire page before finally nodding. "Satisfactory. You may leave. The photo for your ID will be taken at the reception."

"Thank you, sir. But what about this?"

Malcolm looked up as I tapped my metal collar. "It will take about a week for all your new identification to reach you. You must keep that on till then, and refrain from going out of a 20 mile radius of this station. That's it. You're all dismissed."

I took a step back into line with Rush and Keelan, snapping another salute before turning around and walking out the door. Rush immediately turned to me, throwing his arms around me in a tight hug as he hooted. "You're finally free!"

I laughed, patting his back as I finally felt the dormant excitement start to stir. "Yes! I'm finally free!"

Our chatter had a new level of excitement to it as we headed towards the reception. I'd been through here earlier when they'd taken me out for a day. The soldier at the reception took me into the back room, scowled at me when I smiled and pushed me out after the photo. I have never been that happy to be pushed out of somewhere.

Rush and Keelan both had an arm around my shoulder, grinning with me as I finally took my first step outside the HQ as a free woman.