Eko's gaze was absent, lost in the emptiness ahead, she would be returning to the place she called home, which now laid in ruins because of the war consuming them.

In the midst of the chaos, Matthew located Toni, Richie, Jesse, and Jasmine, all trailing closely behind their Commander, their eyes fixed on the unfolding pandemonium. The clamor grew louder as they distanced themselves from the music's fading notes. Each soldier that Eko encountered was attempting to piece together the unfolding events.

She sat in the seat when they entered, and it was only faint between conversations that she heard something that was mentioned as they were all getting dressed about leaving the other aircraft behind on the island, and then Jasmine stood before her, handing over some of the packed clothing they had stored onboard.

While there weren't pants available, the shirt would have to do for now, Eko mused looking at the spare white shirt. Throwing it over her head, she seated herself next to Jesse and fastened her seatbelt. There were more shouts across the craft between the five soldiers on what the signal be; With a swift ascent, the craft propelled into space, its engines roaring at full power. Their destination: the moon.

Eko remained seated in silence she was pretty sure it felt like hours at that point with her subconsciousness freaking out. Though her quiet contemplation went unnoticed by those around her. This unobserved respite granted her the chance to internally grapple with the impending dilemma of what the hell she was going to do if she found someone that was going to blow her cover there.

Various scenarios played out in her mind: 

What if the person she encountered was one of her decoys, and she accidentally divulged the wrong information?

What if this was an elaborate trap?

And the most daunting thought of all— what if they found out she was the Princess?

Fuck, fuck, fuckkkkkkkk!

Frustration and anxiety bubbled within her, manifesting in restless movements. She clutched the standard black t-shirt tightly, twisting its ends through her fingers. While her makeup and lower garments weren't ideal, she at least like the others, were half sensibly dressed.

Shoes were also thankfully semi-appropriate for whatever awaited them. She could fight in these platforms; worse came to worse, she had done it in nine-inch heels before, so this would be a piece of cake.

In an instant, a lightbulb flickered to life in Eko's mind, her expression faltering even if nobody noticed. What if it was Ezra she encountered, and she needed to use her powers?

That would necessitate using them in their presence. The realization struck that these soldiers would then know who she masqueraded as.

Dammit, her mind snarled, she's kept her identity safe for this long, from all the nosey reporters and journalists and, importantly, from the other annoying selective warriors that held powers similar to hers.

God ... Fucken...Damnit!... this was not the way she wanted tonight to go. She should be fucking the godlike men that was upfront at the controls with Toni. Not in this shitty situation. 

As the aircraft veered, entering the atmosphere, its high beams illuminating the surroundings, as they broke into the tempestuous storm.

"I do not like this!" Toni growled, guiding the craft into a thick cloud cluster as there were  lightning bolts striking in every direction. The vessel shuddered and tugged as he maneuvered  around the eye of the storm.

"Get below the storm when you can," Matthew commanded. "It'll fry the equipment if we get hit. I don't feel like explaining that to Cid." 

"Mate, why the fuck didn't I think of that!" he snapped, turning the controls, Richie beside him recalculating where the palace had been below them.

"You weren't doing it, so I figured I'd throw in my two cents," Matthew smirked from beside Jesse, knowing any backseat driver commentary highly pissed off his best friend, a clear pet peeve that Matthew loved to scratch at when he could. 

Amid the turbulence of the storm, Eko observed as the craft continuously lit up. While never having been caught in an actual storm like she was in now, there had been wild weather that could wreak havoc on the moon. The current conditions seemed fitting for such an eventuality.

After a few tense minutes, Toni located an opening and guided the craft to descend through the storm's tumult. They were immediately pummelled by the dense, clamorous rain, obscuring much of their view of the world below.

Only when the floodlights pierced through did they witness the devastated monarchial gardens, now transformed into a field of debris following the invasion. The lights shifted amidst the torrential downpour as they zoomed across the devastated palace and its grounds.

"How on earth are we supposed to see anything in this downpour?" Jasmine interjected briefly from her seat before unfastening her seatbelt and making her way to the cockpit for a better view.

Eko mirrored her actions, leaning forward in the cockpit where Toni had been steering, Richie alongside him as the co-pilot. Matthew and Jesse were stationed nearby, engrossed in the large holographic panels that scanned the area, forming maps and devising strategies for accessing the southern wing leading to the Princess's room.

Eko gleaned from glancing over Jesse's shoulder that the lower levels of the palace had been partially destroyed, indicating that ascending the wing would indeed pose challenges. The precarious state of the palace raised concerns about potential collapses.

"I've got a bad feeling about this," Richie murmured sceptically. Like the rest of the group, he had closely analysed the palace, observing as the ship continued to scan the wreckage, rendering the layout and fallen passages in holographic detail.

Matthew's attention was drawn to the intricately detailed transparent map that stretched before him. "Don't give me your bad feeling crap," he snapped, irritation in his tone, "whenever you say that, shit goes wrong."

"I'm just saying—"

"—don't," Jesse interjected, shaking her head, "remember Python District?"

"Who could forget?" Richie retorted to Jesse, a wry smile forming, "Old mate there ended up missing a liver after that debacle."

Toni let out a sigh, the memory of that night still vivid, "Blame your 'bad feeling' for that, you jinxed it, just like your doing now," he quipped, a tinge of annoyance colouring his words as he recollected the event.

Eko's lips parted slightly, her attention shifting to Jasmine, who, clearly taken aback, was hearing about Python District for the first time.

Before anyone could utter another word, the computer system completed its analysis and spoke in its programmed monotone voice, relaying the situation.

"Isadora – Moon – palace grounds."

"Just saying," Richie chimed in once more, "this doesn't sit right."

"Shut up," Jesse snapped, "you are going to fucken jinx us!"

"—Externals are on unstable foundations."

"And you think it's normal to have picked up a heartbeat nearly a week after all this went down?" Richie retorted.

"—Eastern wing 96% destroyed. Western wing 98% destroyed. Northern wing-"

"Can you shut up so and let the system just speak!" Jesse roared back.

"— 24% destroyed. Southern wing 83% destroyed. Main ground 86% destroyed. Main Halls 12% destroyed—"

"Don't blame me." Richie raised his hands slightly in defense.

"Give it a rest!" Jesse had had enough when she hurled a shoe she had slipped off her foot in Richie's direction, which found its mark by striking him in the head.

With an eye roll, Matthew leaned toward Toni, his voice almost a whisper so that Jasmine and Eko could barely hear, "Access ways are blocked," tapping the screen to highlight the obstructed walkways.

"There," Eko contributed figuring out what they were looking at, gesturing to the former access points. Memories flooded her mind of countless times she had ascended those stairs.

"Three of the main servant's access points are also damaged." Toni analysed. 

"Entry subject to wing collapse risk, high probability," the system continued, its voice maintaining its clinical cadence.

"Any old doors that could be unblocked?" Jasmine queried Eko with a curious gaze.

"Staff had sealed some of them about two years ago. Plus, those tunnels never extended through the southern wing," 

"Which ones?" Matthew inquired, his fingers tapping on the keyboard that caused the tunnels to illuminate on the diagram beneath the palace.

"so you see these ones," Eko pointed to the diagram before them, indicating the tunnels she was referring to. "Those tunnels never ran through the southern wing. I'm pretty sure the palace was extended after the fact. So these, north west tunnels they were built after." 

The computerized voice chimed in, confirming, "Access blocked," with the highlighted tunnels glowing in ominous red. The information indicated that the palace's collapse was likely due to the presence of these tunnels, resulting in one half sinking and the other partially caving in. The four of them then knew they had to forego that plan.

Amidst Jesse and Richie's argument, Jasmine's voice rose as she posed a question, "Is Seraphina's room, the source of the heartbeat, still intact?"

"Give me back the fucken shoe. You're such a child!" Jesse sneered as they could sense her and Richie moving about behind them. 

Amid the bickering, Matthew refocused on the task, inputting codes that caused the screen to zoom in on the southern wing. It rapidly scanned the compromised section, eventually highlighting a room at the top of the wing.

"Surface instability detected. 54% damage observed. No vital life signs detected. It is advisable to steer clear. A 78% probability of structural collapse under pressure," the system provided its analysis.

"Why is it now reporting no vital life signs?" Eko's curiosity had been piqued, prompting Matthew to turn slightly, his own interest aligned with Eko's.

"Here," Toni offered, tapping the illuminated keyboard, "let's recalibrate for bodies." He input a different set of parameters into the system, shifting the focus from detecting life signs to determining the count of bodies present.

Jasmine's gaze shifted toward Eko, who nodded in agreement. They, like the rest of the group, had their eyes glued to the screen, hoping to catch any sign of bodies amidst the unfolding information.

As Jesse rose sat down in her seat, she swiftly retrieved the shoe from the chuckling man beside her and playfully placed it back on her foot. Before she could deliver her reprimand at him, the computerized voice began to speak.

"Location identified. Three bodies detected. No vital signs."

"Fuck?" Matthew snapped, and his voice stopped the arguing pair. Jesse turned her heel towards the illuminated control panel, and Richie dropped back into the seat, uneasy upon the confirmation.

"Three bodies?" Jasmine was confused, "I though the delta team sweeped the palace?"

The brunette's throat tightened as she stood there, if anyone asked her, she would have told them how deathly afraid she was of 'almost' - of coming so very close to where she wanted to now be in life. So much so that she could almost taste it, almost touch it, and it begged to ask her, what if she fell a little bit short?

What if this wasn't one of her decoys?

What if the relentless search for the missing 'Princess' continued?

And then, what if she could actually pull this off?

What if she managed to convince everyone that the Princess was truly dead, setting herself on the path to inevitable freedom?

Eko's attention remained fixated on the information unfolding on the screen. She was impervious to the sidelong glances from the other soldiers, absorbed entirely in the data before her.

"How do we get there?" Eko's voice now carried a frustrated edge as her teeth clenched, "I want her body retrieved from that place." In truth, she needed to assess the situation firsthand.

Matthew shifted his gaze from Eko to the screen, contemplating the next steps.

"Jesse, bring the ship up," his tone carried authority as he unfastened his seatbelt, standing up.

There was only one way to confront this issue.

"Oh, come on, man! Not this shit again," Richie's voice resonated with exasperation as Jesse received the command. The rest of the group observed as Matthew left the central cockpit and made his way toward the rear of the ship.

Eko's eyes widened in surprise, mirroring Jasmine's reaction to the abrupt activity.

"Altitude?" Jesse's voice called out from the controls.

"Get us as close as possible to the balcony. There should be enough clearance to jump," Matthew's voice echoed back from the interior of the craft.

"Matthew, fuck-No!" Richie protested. "Remember Cirteon – we shattered how many bones when he had to make that jump?"

"What's going on? What are we doing?" Jasmine's curiosity compelled her to follow Toni and Richie as they exited the cockpit and headed toward the back of the aircraft where Matthew was stationed. Eko trailed closely behind, watching as Matthew secured himself into a harness.

"Relax, it's not that far down," Toni's laughter filled the space, eliciting a groan from Richie.

"I hate it when he does this," Richie gestured toward their Commander who was still in the process of buckling himself in, "You know how much I hate heights!"

"Matthew?" Eko's voice carried a mixture of uncertainty. She had followed the group to the area where they were securing themselves into harnesses.

However, Matthew remained silent. He completed the final buckle around his waist and cinched the harness as he walked purposefully toward the exit. Punching in the codes, the doors disengaged and slid upwards.

The immediate blast of raining frostbite air pushed into the cabin space, the wild, untamed hair of the soldiers blowing everywhere. Eko's gaze remained fixed on Matthew as he leaned out slightly, almost drenched by the water. He seemed to be assessing the landing spot below amid the turbulent conditions.

Utterly bewildered, Eko briefly glanced back at the two soldiers who were also strapping themselves into harnesses. Surely, they weren't. No. Were they going down there? In this weather?

"We're going in from the top. We'll anchor in," Matthew's commanding voice managed to overpower the roar of the raging wind. Between the storm and the pounding sound of the aircraft, he failed to notice the moment Eko had come to a decision. She was now stepping toward Toni and Richie. Ignoring their perplexed expressions, she seized a harness from them and began fastening it around herself.

Jasmine's head turned to her, confusion written across her face. "whatca doing?"

"Getting her body back," Eko declared in response to the question, triple securing her harness, she then approached the Matthew, attaching her line to a safety point as he had done, prepared for the descent.

"Care to explain?" Matthew raised an eyebrow in a playful manner, looking at the woman by his side,  this temptress that was a whole basket case of crazy and daredevil traits. She was a puzzle he found himself both intrigued and bemused by. He was hypnotised at that point in time with the way her brunette hair was pushed back from the onslaught of the wind, her slick black shirt being drenched, and her Fluro mini shorts and black platform heels all made her appear like someone else in his eyes. 

Matthew was gradually unraveling a deeper truth about Eko. Beneath the façade she projected to the world, beneath the persona she had carefully crafted, he was beginning to see an inner strength and tenacity that surpassed even the resilience of his own soldiers. A fierce determination and unyielding grit were simmering beneath the surface. There was a fire burning within her, an intensity that drew him in like a moth to a flame. In her, he found a magnetism and intrigue that he had never quite encountered in anyone else before.

"I'm going with you," Eko declared as she raised her head to him, resolved in that fact alone. Matthew knew that no one was talking her out of this, "I'm getting her back, Matthew. She doesn't deserve to be here alone."

Preparing to descend, she used a hair tie from her wrist to gather her now soaked long hair into a makeshift bun that swept across her face. Peering through the opening as the floodlights illuminated the ruined wing, she felt the ship's movement as Jesse maneuvered it closer, edging as near as possible to the balcony Matthew had spotted in the plans.

Their Commander observed the ship's steadiness. Jesse had managed to position them for the drop, but amidst the storm's chaos, he really needed her now to maintain stability.

"Are you going first, or am I?" Eko inquired, his focus on the drop zone below.

"If I said you weren't going, would you listen to me?" Matthew yelled over the force of the aircraft. Eko turned her head toward him, shaking it with a resolute 'no,' clearly communicating that there was a fat chance of that happening.

"You won't have much time due to the building's structural instability," Jasmine's voice provided guidance, her eyes on the aircraft's panels. "It's shifting slightly, so your weight and movements might trigger further collapse."

Eko, along with Toni and Richie, acknowledged Jasmine's instructions with nods. As Matthew turned away, he braced himself for the drop.

"Lean out," Matthew's voice instructed, drawing Eko's attention back to him. "Then jump. It's only a twenty-meter drop. Unhook and follow me inside. Toni and Richie will follow immediately after you. Don't dawdle."

"Got it," Eko affirmed, and then he was gone, launching himself from the ship and disappearing beneath her.

Eko followed suit. After securing her safety hook, she turned around, rain continuing to drench her. With a swift kick against the side railing, she descended. Moments later, her feet touched the balcony's surface.

Swiftly unhooking her harness, Eko fought against the storm's turmoil to maintain her vision. She managed just in time for Toni and Richie to make their own drops. Floodlights momentarily blinded her as she stumbled indoors, colliding with the Matthew lingering in the doorway.

Unexpectedly and instinctively, she felt arms around her, Matthew had grasped, preventing her from falling.

Eko's senses were brought to the blue-eyed man and then to the situation before them, for never in her wildest dreams was this something that she was prepared to face.