The clangs of ricocheting rounds and the blasts from her side’s return fire made it hard to hear and hard to see. There was always this disorientating fog in her mind preventing her from making even the simplest calculated movements. Her hand lay at her side, right within reach of a rifle left lying in reach, and her other hand remained firmly pressed against her left shoulder from where a blinding pain shot through her entire body. She somehow managed to focus on the young woman named Taneesha Sur mounted on the edge of the door frame, relentlessly returning fire.

She knew how this ended, somehow. She knew what was coming and reached out with her free hand but air passed through her loose vocal chords, empty and without ring. Attempt after attempt as her heart raced faster took her nowhere, not even able to stand up to pull her back. Flesh was then ripped from Taneesha’s neck as she fell back and fell limp as the trails of slung blood right over her fear-frozen body, knocking the wind out of her.

Struggling to get up, she realized it was too dark to see. She pushed herself up off of the body that fell on her, only to see it was a man’s face still with a hand clutching her neck. She fought to breathe but to no avail. Fighting the urge to give into suffocation, she instinctively but blindly utilized the heft she clutched in her right hand to swing at the only thing in her reach. After repeated blows to his head, she felt air finally rush in, falling to the side, only to find no relief in the blood that covered her hands.

She now felt the pressure of dozens around her, all watching with contempt.

Sam awoke from her shallow, hot, sweat-drenched slumber, heart pounding and lungs struggling to keep pace. Frantically checking her shoulder and her hands, she saw no wound, no blood, no bodies. It would take moments to realize she was alone that night in her hotel.

“Sebastian,” she sobbed through her earpiece she held in her quivering hand, curled up against the headboard. “It’s still happening- it won’t stop happening. I need you so bad right now. Please...”

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●　● Sumeria One, Eden Space Territories

(One Week Post-Surgery)

(October 15th, 2174)

“Now arriving, Sumeria Central Terminal.”

“Even with those nightmares that keep coming…” Sam mumbled aloud before taking in a long, tense breath. “Something continues to call me back, even as I find myself back here in the Union. I mean, I almost died five or more times back on that rock, but yet, I miss it already.” She couldn’t contain the quickly ensuing chuckle in realization of the irony in her last statement. “Last June I was so scared about going there… as if I feared going somewhere new and unknown more than what crazy, deadly mess lied ahead.”

“So, then,” the male’s voice spoke up after a brief pause. “Despite all of that, you are still confident about chasing this Harbinger title after all, I presume?”

She started chuckling once more, shaking her head in response.

The same aqua-green eyes, pensive as they were those five months ago, snapped open and then snapped closed once again as the programmed artificial sunlight blindingly filtered in, revealing dark bags underneath. Sam, who was seated in one of the sectioned-off shuttle compartments, put down her sandwich wrap she had only taken two bites of, visibly displeased with the taste and how poorly it went down. It was rather expensive, coming from one of her favorite and highly reputable lunch venues, but her tastes had been vastly altered since her return to Space. Closing her eyes once more in defeat, she wadded up her meal and quickly proceeded to toss it in the trash bin recession in the wall.

Her eyes returned to their previous position of gazing emptily into the very limited view of the busiest part of the space nation Sumeria One. Makes me really miss the train ride I had back in Colombia. I hope I get to keep my promise to go back before this is all over.

A warm, awakening chime rang softly from her smart watch as her attention was snapped away from the outside world and right into the tiny display. “Hey! Don’t forget to stop by after your visit!” read the message from a sender listed as “Aunt Saff”.

The shuttle then came to a stop as she rose to take a hold of the support railing, using her free hand to shoulder her only luggage in the form of a stylish yet rugged messenger bag. It clashed with her former tastes, showing how her preference for quality remained intact yet loudly spoke of her as if she wasn’t raised in the Eden-Casares Union. Hurrying off, she kept up a brisk pace down the main exit corridor as she turned up the volume to her music playing a latino hit from the seventh-decade (2020’s), yet another peculiar change from her usual norm she had found comfort in.

“I’m here, on my way to Dr. Wozniak’s now,” she spoke into her watch as a reply to Saffire’s message. “Will call right after.”

Her mind raced despite the continuous string of mostly sleepless nights that had gotten harder to bear, especially alone. She hadn’t been back home in so many months, and there was so much she wanted to accomplish during her short stay: Figure out what’s been causing her nightmares, visit her Aunt, catch up with Daja, wait for Sebastian to wrap up his training at the nearby Jazira Station, and-

“-Grandpa…” She caught herself mid-thought as she coincidentally slowed her pace. She tapped that note into her watch as she carried on ahead.

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Cold, sterile walls sparsely decorated with informational diagrams mixed with a few pieces of calming contemporary art surrounded the two. Dr. Wozniak’s office wasn’t as warm and homey as Saffire’s, but she remained confident that staying away from personal acquaintances would be for the best, especially if it kept everyone at Hexa off of her back.

Sam let out a slow sigh, already exhausted from her trip over, but more so from having to relive so many harsh memories over such a short period of time. Preferring to get it all over with sooner than later, she tried to speak what she could but not before better advice intervened.

“I do believe that’s more than enough shared for one day, Ms. Knight,” the doctor spoke from his chair situated next to hers, going back over notes he took on his digital tablet. “Witnessing death, having direct involvement regardless of the nature, being through situations many actual military pilot graduates would never be forced to experience… And you’ve been experiencing that from Colombia all the way through the Philippines. I do laud your mental resiliency to even just hash out everything for me without breakdown. There’s absolutely no doubting the lot of traumata there you endured over such a short time frame.” The doctor took a pause between breaths after his long-winded statement, then looked up at Sam as he sat up with a difficult smile. “And it leads me to, well, suggest that our next meeting would focus on your goals more than how to handle the nightmares. In a sense, a more proactive approach than just simply reacting to and relieving your symptoms.”

Seriously?

Sam grimaced, expecting what she assumed to be the usual suggestion and prescription for medication and a goodbye. “Well, to answer your question, my mind is still technically made up. I may never become a Harbinger due to the obvious legal reasons, but as far as what I was hoping to address during these visits…” She instinctively looked back at her mobile screen that upon awakening brought her back to the message she intentionally left up.

Tricky’s last text message to her that morning read: “Don’t forget, you’re always welcome back anytime. We will always have a place for you. No one will forget the help you were.”

Her mind was exactly as stated, fully made up. But it wasn’t just the warm reminders of the bridges she had built over the months, it was also that of something colder, far less personal. And with that, she thought to continue her retort but felt her mind edging closer toward her old habits of unnecessary, insensitive, tongue-in-cheek remarks and quickly withdrew. Never mind.” She spoke up after her brief pause in thought, shaking her head. “I know I have to just have patience after everything.” Even though something seems like he’s just like everyone else out there intent on getting me to quit.

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Feeling better after a short, quiet ride on an automated taxi trip, she found even greater respite from the sight of a familiar sign that read “Saffire Aurion-Raven, PhD” posted near a quaint, two-story house-turned-clinic. But as she approached the entrance, her visit would take a turn from the usual as Saffire herself quickly emerged from the other side, and the instant she laid eyes on Sam she rushed to her with a shout of her name, quickly followed by a swift, firm, motherly embrace.

“You knew I was okay, Saff, I just talked to you like ten times since getting here,” Sam joked with a smile as she chose against fighting Saffire’s concern and care that in the past felt too physical and at times overwhelming. She didn’t remember feeling such warmth before, and it seemingly erased a sizeable portion of the weight hanging on her soul. And without realizing, her own two arms returned the embrace, suddenly catching herself holding back tears and a sniffle.

Saffire had picked up on that very change as well, but knew to let it be as she stepped back to take another good look at her. “I watched every damn black box file Mr. Lucian sent me under the table,” she started with a smirk growing across her face.

Mr. Lucian? Who?

“And it felt like I was watching someone grow up and improve so fast it wasn’t even the same Sam I knew anymore- I felt like I was watching my own past film,” Saffire continued with a proud chuckle. The chuckle then grew to a heartier laugh at the sight of Sam’s rumpled nose in response. “I’m so serious! But I mean, Sam,” she then added with a sigh and her arms back at her side. “You likely don’t realize just how damn lucky you are to be here. As proud as we are, we were twice as frightened to death too many times to count.” She then saw Sam’s tears that almost fell still hanging around, leading her to wipe them as she started up again: “But I know this is the path you chose, and we’ll always be behind you.”

Sam then felt her unexpected, powerful urge to hug her again, giving in within less than a second. Over the many years she hadn’t been around but a few that seemed to truly have her interests at heart, and while she was accustomed to pushing those emotions to the side, the sudden desire to not take them for granted was a more recent one. “Can we talk inside?” Sam asked after spending a few seconds to regather herself.

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●　● Somewhere on Earth

Nearly inaudible footsteps were well hidden by the sounds of ventilation fans and the whirs of various machinery overhead from the floors above. They were made in haste but with great dexterity and precision, those that would be from a certain type professional. And one might judge by the tightly bound garments from head to toe with no wasted loose ends that it was within the field of theft or assassination.

Staying out of what little direct light there was and hugging the walls, only making separation when finding new obstacles to stay better hidden, the figure then came to a halt at the end of the hallway as the shadow of another approaching figure neared. A quick, stealthy hand slipped a blade from its sleeve and gripped it tightly, pulling back as if ready to pounce. And before the moment arrived, its eyes darted back the other way to confirm the other end of the hall being empty, focusing on that same side to also confirm not a single sound to be heard as well.

The approaching figure, moving a much more leisurely pace, planted its right foot and started to turn the corner, head buried in a notepad. But by the time it looked up, the other was already with one hand around the mouth and the other with the blade to its neck. And without even a split second to realize what was happening, another forceful motion threw them both back into the darkness and pinned against the wall.

“This kind of hideout doesn’t suit your tastes, Marian Channing,” the female as revealed by her voice whispered from behind, now impressed by how relatively calm her target remained despite the nature of the situation.

Marian, however, quickly realized how pinned she really was. One arm wrapped around her right arm and continued up to the hand that had a blade at her neck, and the other arm had her left arm was done up in a similar fashion but used that hand to pin her mouth shut, squeezing her head against the other’s head. There might have been a way to use her legs but she knew not to trust her untrained body to pull of the impossible, resorting to temporary obedience.

“I’m going to move my fingers so you can talk once I ask one question, and I only need one answer.”

Marian stayed relatively still despite her heightened breaths and racing heart, finally giving in and attempted a slight nod.

But before continuing, another covered figure from behind with as quiet of an approach as their counterpart reached over and snuck the earpiece from Marian’s ear, taking care of its power source before nodding the go sign.

“Now,” she eased in even closer to Marian’s ear. “Tell me the country and city where I can find my son.”