“What did you do with it?” she firmly spoke as if interrogating him all of the sudden.

“Nothing, I left it in your bag, but why?” he answered in a matching tone.

“I said I can’t explain it right now,” she huffed back, closing her eyes with a slow shake of her head. “Please, just bring it to me.”

He shook his head as well, but in rejection instead of frustration. “I need an explanation. Sam, what is that thing? And who was that strange voice on your headset?”

Her eyes closed tighter as if in pain.

“Sam, I feel like you’re hiding something from me.”

“You really… have to trust me in that I can’t explain anything right now.”

“No,” he leaned forward, pressing on: “I was so happy to come back, but now I find these things so suddenly. Why do you have to do this to me now? Why can’t you trust me?”

Her hands went over her face, tugging at the skin below her eyes. “We can’t start talking about trust issues. I saw the pictures of you and Ms. Norris, after all.”

His brow furled offendedly, sitting up straight. “I’m sorry? What are you talking about?”

“You know what, never mind,” she answered with a defeated tone, dropping her hands at her sides. “Either you want to trust me or you don’t, because right now I feel that-”

The door opened, cutting off the conversation as the two looked up to see Kerry walking through.

“I’ve heard enough”, Kerry interjected, tight-lipped as she looked over to Sebastian. “Thank you for watching over her all afternoon, but don’t you think we’ve all been through too much today? Especially her; Why can’t we let her rest and recover while we’re at it?”

“Sorry,” he spoke back to Kerry with a huff. “You’re right. She apparently does need more rest,” he chided as he got up to leave.

Kerry paused as a deep, sudden breath rushed in, then chose better judgment before releasing it. “Go ahead before I lose my shit.” She waited for the door to close behind him to let out a heavy sigh, taking that same chair to sit next to Sam. “The fuck’s his problem all the sudden?!”

Sam shook her head, once more rubbing her face in frustration. “I don’t know if it’s me or him or what, but I just can’t… I can’t trust just him, Kerry. I can’t even trust myself right now.”

Kerry realized she only made things worse after seeing her reaction. “My bad, I shouldn’t have even said all that.” She took a second to think before continuing: “We just got notified of a team meeting with one of the directors here tomorrow morning, but just focus on getting rest today, alright?” She then pulled out her mobile and flipped through several screens. “Thing is, I need to catch up with you on a few things once we get cut loose afterwards. I jotted down a few things, but the first thing I found out a little while ago is about your neural mesh network.”

Sam laid her arms over her chest and looked over to her as she began to calm down herself. “Yeah, apparently, I had a concussion but I already know of most of the treatment methods. What’d you find?”

“Well,” Kerry started with a puzzled smirk. “This network access procedure they said they used on you… as I just read… only works on first-gen technology.”

Upon hearing that, Sam realized now something else she had been hiding, although this time, purely coincidence and without such intention. She returned the weak smile before looking away. “Sorry. I never did mention my network specs to anyone, really. I don’t even think I was supposed to.”

“You weren’t a war pilot, but you were once prepped to be one. You were born a ‘gen one’ pilot, huh. That explains a lot, and why you got the spot and the treatment you got.”

Sam sensed a tinge of betrayal in her voice mixed with the confusion. “I… listen, that’s all because I had logged in months-worth of simulation hours with the beta test runs for the Axiom, but I thought that was already public knowledge for our operations.”

“We knew that detail.” Kerry straightened her posture, leaning forward with her hands at her knees. “I just,” she started before pausing to hold back unnecessarily agitating comments. “…Never knew you were a true ‘gen one’ all this time. I’m kind of jealous, to be honest, but it does explain a lot.”

She glanced down at her mobile which had a message pulled up, revealing a message Sebastian left her, reading: “Sam survived both of her fights using Antares setting 9,” and it was sent to both her and Andre. She flipped to the next, which read: “You realize this is the second time she’s had special priority treatment by hospital administration. Something’s not right,” bringing back memories of the harsh treatment everyone else but Sam got back at Dhaka.

“You’ve been in a whole different league than us all this time,” Kerry continued in a tone hard for Sam to read accurately, leaning further forward. “And maybe that’s why despite all this the uppers already want to meet tomorrow. I mean, in the end, are you really already over your head trauma? We are still worried about you.”

Sam too tried to straighten up. “I just feel really groggy. Weak. But that’s about it.”

Kerry then shook her head with a smile. “You know what, I’m doing it again,” she finished with a chuckle. “This ain’t helping no one. Anything you need me to bring you? Or maybe call in the nurse now that you’re up?”

“I’m fine, thanks,” Sam replied with a genuine smile. “You know what? I have so many things to repay you for. The other two as well, but I just don’t know when I will ever be able to do it.”

“Well, we do have time to figure things out,” she said with a pat of the bedside. “Glad your procedure went well.” She then noticed Sam growing heavy-eyed again, feeling now would be the time to spit out the rest of what was on her mind. “And speaking of, I have to say thanks for what you did out there.”

Sam worked up a chuckle as she settled her head back onto her pillow. “I thought you’d all hate me for ditching you.”

Kerry looked back at her phone subconsciously as she continued: “I hated you at that moment until I realized we were all better off the way things went. Word was everywhere when we got back about the Cloak, not to mention the two war vet pilots you bagged on your own.” When she looked back up, she saw Sam starting to drowse off again. “Meds still hanging around, I see.”

“Don’t worry, I’ll pay you all back some day,” she mumbled as her head tilted the other way.

“Yeah, I’ll take payment in some drinks once this little operation is over,” she quipped. And while awaiting a response, she noted Sam falling back asleep. Letting out a weak, nasal chuckle, she went back to her mobile to open up a new message.

.

▽　▽　▽

.

Farther down the building, Sebastian arrived at their locker room with the intent to transfer the bag over to Sam’s as so coldly requested. His mind couldn’t stop racing back and forth between what all had happened throughout the day and what Sam just accused him of, causing him to move even slower.

[How can I even start to get things right again?] he mumbled under his breath, closing his locker door before walking over to hers. [Was I wrong to have ever left? Is she mad because I left for space that day?]

He clicked open the door mechanism and carefully placed her bag inside at the base underneath her pilot equipment hanging just above. “Hmph,” he let a low chuckle slip out as he closed the door back. [I don’t even think she knows I helped take that Cloak down, yet.]

[It wouldn’t change anything,] he heard Andre’s voice coming from up the hallway. [So. do you always talk to yourself like that?]

Sebastian shrugged, letting out another chuckle. [I do from time to time. What did you mean, by the way?]

Andre approached while dejectedly shaking his head, making the bandage over his right eye more apparent. [I tried to tell you way back that you shouldn’t get tied up with girls, man. I find not only Sam’s behavior awfully suspicious lately, but Kerry’s, too.] He then brought his wrist up to glance at his watch. [I could use a drink after all that shit, couldn’t you? We got time if you wanna join.]

His watch then buzzed as he looked at the incoming message from Kerry. [Wait,] he said as he read the message, then looked to Sebastian. [Hey, did you know Sam was a 1st generation pilot?]

[Huh?] Sebastian returned with genuine puzzlement. [How is that possible for someone who isn’t old enough to be a vet?]

[Shit…] he laughed with a shrug of his shoulders. [It’s the build of her brain; she didn’t need the neural mesh things we have. Hers is a simple upgrade, meaning we are outclassed here and never could tell. Something stinks,] he finished with a frown, turning to the locker Sebastian had closed. [What’s in there?]

[It’s only her bag. But wait, what’s so suspicious about that?]

[We all, including you, know the special treatment she keeps getting and she still keeps acting all aloof. Like she can’t see what’s going on. Was she a plant? Is that why only she got the Axiom? Does someone up top have something else going on that we don’t know about? Why stick her on us?] He could now see Sebastian in deeper thought. [You see where I’m going with this? We keep dragging her along like she’s the rookie, but now none of this makes any sense.]

[I think you are overthinking things,] Sebastian replied, shaking his head, making his way for the exit. [Are you coming for that drink you offered?]

[Wait, that bag. What’s so special you had to come back all this way to-]

[-Hey, leave her shit alone, will ya. Let’ go,] Sebastian interrupted with a wave and an irritated scowl.

Andre didn’t like the snub, but decided now wasn’t a time to push the envelope just for a potentially worthless hunch as he followed along.

.

.

.

▽　▽　▽

.

.

Sam rolled over, eyes slowly opening through yet another cold sweat. Each time she fell asleep was another flashback, but this time of the cold, belittling glare Isaiah left her with alongside the knife he had her pinned down with. Wiping and rubbing her eyes, she found the strength to get herself upright, looking around to regather her bearings. The room was silent and empty. She looked over to see the time was 5:45 PM. Next to the clock display was the nurse call button, pressing it as she recalled her being supposedly clear to leave.

I really need to get my head clear. I can’t just lay here all day and expect anything to improve, right?

▽　▽　▽

She approached her locker amongst the distant noise of passers by and their conversations, hoping her bag would be there as she attempted to request earlier. With a pull of the handle, a sigh of relief came out, spotting her bag with all the contents she remembered leaving with it. “Ugh, thank God.” She then spied other things she left at the club from the night before, bringing back more flashbacks.

That Revenant guy who tried to kill us… he’s really dead, isn’t he?

As she put away her mobile and shouldered her bag, she headed for the back exit at a slow, exhausted pace.

I still barely recall how that all went down. Did I really beat him? And… why was Sebastian there again?

Rubbing her eyes again with the readjustment to the afternoon sun, she made her way towards the signs that marked the nearest exit gates. Stop, Sam, just focus on clearing your head.

She reached into her bag pocket to fish out her mobile’s earpiece and affixed it, then proceeded to pull up a playlist from her sync’d audio apps. Normally, the thought of leaving such a secure zone would have her in a fright, but for the first time since arriving on Earth she felt safer in leaving, even if just for a brief minute.

Right. Revenant is gone. And unlike where we went by the coast last night, Tyrus seems to be in control of this entire part of the city over here. And still no clue who the moles are within these walls.

And Sebastian pissing me off…

The last thought came as she clutched the still-mysterious communication device she received the night before in her windbreaker pocket. And while that last thought stung, hanging around like a paper cut, it only took another deep breath to refocus and keep moving ahead.

▽　▽　▽

She made it past the first city block and up to the crosswalk to await the signal. Looking around at her surroundings, things seemed almost welcoming which was surprising given the mess that had been caused so recently. No one was staring back at her from their cars, passersby paid her barely any attention, and their conversations within earshot seemed anything but distressed. She pondered the possibility that it was either due to the locals being used to the recent troubles including the protests, or that Tyrus’ group had a stronger influence than she would have expected.

The signal changed, and as she casually crossed the wide intersection something about the atmosphere reminded her strongly of Bogotá, a town she initially feared so intensely yet in due time learned so many of its positives before it was too late. She wouldn’t pass up the opportunity this time, either, even though much of the returning imagery brought her thoughts right back to Sebastian.

Not having noticed how many minutes passed by lost in those complicated thoughts, the aroma of something like seasoned ground beef. And it was a familiar one somehow, not only firmly grabbing her full attention but also her stomach as it started to growl, reminding her of how long it had been since she had a proper meal by now. Her eyes veered over to her right to find a small, quaint, open-air eatery with a simple sign above the walk-up order window. Her eyes then focused on the central word of the sign: “Empanadas”.

She inadvertently let out a surprised gasp as her feet brought her to a sudden halt. What?! Empanadas! I remember those! She of course wasn’t familiar with Vigan Empanadas as the sign had written, but it was good enough for her as things were, especially having no clue what else could have been good without a guide anyway. And the actual purchasing of something was never to be an issue regardless of the country as all countries within the former major alliance spheres never discontinued their use of global credits, and she remembered no problems using them in Colombia.

And as she happily took her fresh empanada from the attendant, she quickly went to find what looked to be the coziest corner of the outside seating area. Taking her seat, she placed her bag on the table and set her backpack on the floor next to her, now rummaging around for the sports drink bottle she took from the medical bay. As she started to remove the bottle, she sensed someone approaching, pausing out of caution.

“We were wondering when you would leave,” the familiar young female voice spoke in a warm, greeting fashion.

Wow… Of course, she thought as she let out a sigh that tapered off into a mild chuckle. “You scared me.” She put her bottle on the table next to her empanada bag and looked the woman in the eye, watching her sit down across from her. “You sure seem to follow me around a lot. Can I by chance get your name?” she asked in a lower voice, never truly able to fully let her guard down.

“Tricky,” she answered succinctly with a smile matching her aura. “Please, don’t mind me for now. Go ahead and eat,” she continued with her hand extended toward the bag.