GRANDPA.

1774, NOVEMBER 28th, MONDAY 2:00 am.

Noche's world was darkness. A beeping emerged from the void, it was slow and rhythmic. It grew louder and louder as a speck of whiteness appeared before her. As the noise increased in volume so to did the light expand. Noche opened her eyes.

The blonde laid in a bed. A thick blanket covered her torso and plastic tubes came out of her arms. No, they were IV lines. Her head turned to the beeping; it was a machine monitoring her heart rate.

Pain made itself known.

Her skull split like a log under a woodcutter's axe. She grabbed her head and sat up. A green something caught her eye — a fairytale book of Creeps sat atop the bedside table. She lingered her gaze on the book before scanning the room.

Boots locked eyes with her, Shaylin and Tak were talking, Vida stood near a closed door, and Mary and Alice were asleep in the corner. The quieter of the two had a content smile on her face as she snuggled into the dark-skinned girl. Still resting, Mary planted a kiss on Alice's forehead.

Jack was to her side and he smiled when she turned to him. He appeared wounded but was alive. Yet his goggles were missing and he lacked some of the energy he had earlier. Noche frowned, she was certain the lack of enthusiasm was not because of his physical wounds.

"Your augment saved your life," Boots said. "If you had been a normal person, like Jack here, you'd be a charred pile of bones."

Noche coughed. "I thought augment doesn't protect you from energy attacks."

"It doesn't. You still took the damage," Shaylin said. "Your body was physically strong enough to stay in one piece — but you certainly took the damage."

"I feel like it too."

"Bruh, you're lucky you only passed out," Mary stifled a yawn. "Combined with that stab wound, it's a miracle you're still alive. Keep this shit up and your luck is gonna run out."

"It's impressive how strong you've become," Boots said. "I remembered when you were a kid. Barely able to use create and struggling to do the splits."

A smile slipped onto his face. A genuine smile, warmand reminiscing. As fast as it appeared, it vanished. Noche's expressionsoftened towards her scowling, orange-haired friend. His head snapped to thewall where his face was out of sight.

"How long was I out?"

"Bout an hour," Mary said.

"And Jack? Are you ok?"

"I'm fine — I'm fine," he chuckled. "Everyone found some grim gel. I'm more or less patched up."

"BRUH! This stuff is fucking amazing!" Mary shot to her feet. "Boots wasn't kidding! It is a super medicine!"

The brown girl pulled out a flash drive from her pumpkin-themed medicine bag.

"Shaylin and I got multiple copies of Grim's research. Everything, and I mean everything, about Grim gel is on our flash-drives!" She said. "To put it simply, it stimulates natural healing to insane speeds... So it won't help me with my disease."

Mary went silent and stayed that way for a handful of seconds.

"But, it's still incredible! With this, anyone could heal like Tak!" She said. "And I'm sure there's something in this research I could use for the development of my cure! All in all, this is a win for me!"

Shaylin chuckled. "And for me. So many secrets, Professor Grim projects the world has never seen. I'm gonna be rich!"

Mary raised her hand and Shaylin gave it a crisp high five.

"S-Sorry, but we... We didn't have a lot," Tak said. "We only had enough to treat your serious injuries after Jack was fine."

Noche raised her left hand. Soft, pink flesh had healed over the wounds where her pointer and middle finger were severed. Her hand came to her chest; a sore sensation shot across her body, but no bones wiggled or crunched.

"Over half your ribs were cracked. It's... It's miraculous how powerful your grandfather's Grim gel is," Mary walked over to Noche's bedside. "Fully healed in a matter of minutes. It is a super medicine."

"If I hadn't witnessed Tak's healing firsthand, I wouldn't have believed it." Shaylin said.

"Doesn't help your black eye, or those cuts," Boots said.

"Is she awake?" A voice called.

Noche's heart stopped. Her mouth became suddenly dry. An old man with hair styled like a bull's horns entered the room.

"Professor Grim," she mouthed. "Grandpa."

He walked into the room with the air of a man who knew what he was doing and had the full authority to do so.

"I'm glad to see everyone's ok," he said.

The old man approached Alice and placed a sniper rifle before her. The emo's eyes all but sparkled as she stared at the inventor of Grim guns.

"I finished the adjustments on your weapon, young lady," he said. "Some of the DriveMetal insulation was wearing thin, so I gave it a new treatment and... Well, I won't bore you with technical terms. Point is, it can withstand more firepower now."

She nodded. "Thank... You."

He turned towards them, they locked eyes for a few silent seconds, and he approached.

"Do you have any idea how much you scared me?" He said. "What you did was very dangerous. Please, don't do it again."

Noche's face went red, her head lowered, and her eyes drifted to the floor.

"I-I... I'm sorry."

A hand landed on her shoulder and patted it.

"There, there. It's ok," Professor Grim said. "Now. I have some questions for you."

Noche's head raised and he turned to the group.

"What are you all doing here?"

"What are we... We're here to save you!" Noche shouted.

"Here. To. Save?" The old man laughed. "Save me? How!"

The blonde's face turned red all over again.

"H-HEY! We may not look like it — but we've kicked the ass of every bird of death on the way down here!"

"Weeell, Owl is probably fine," Shaylin said.

"Dove didn't fight us," Boots said.

"V-Vulture is defeated though," Tak beamed.

Noche grinned with confidence; Professor Grim chuckled.

"And—And the Cross army is just outside the front doors!" She said. "The moment we get to that stupid-looking cartoonish castle, we'd home free!"

His laughter stopped abruptly.

"Cross is aware of DeathTech?' He said. "Cross is... here?"

The blonde grinned and nodded.

"You're serious," he paused.

"I am. You can escape this place!" She motioned to the group. "We're the advance scouting group sent to get you."

"I can't believe it. There's actually a chance," he said. "This is amazing. Hold on, let me pack my things and wake up my granddaughter, then we can be off."

"No problem, hurry an—" Noche paused mid-sentence. "Your... What?"

"My granddaughter? Young girl, tufts of blonde hair, about five years old?" He said. "She always wears a red and white stripped shirt. Her name is Noche."

The room was silent, yet to the blonde, glass shattered.

Everyone was staring at Noche as Professor Grim began packing. Boot's expression was no less wide-eyed than the blondes, or anyone else's for that matter. The only person whose expression was more sorrow than shock was Jack; he was avoiding Noche's gaze.

A whirlwind of emotion rushed throughout Noche's body, yet she couldn't find any words. All sorts of eyes were upon her and she didn't know how to speak. Electricity tingled down her spine, into her arms, and hands.

Noche was disconnected from her own body. It was distant and moved of its own accord. It was almost as if she was watching it from afar, like this moment was a recording. Her feet touched the floor and she stood up.

"G-Grandpa?" She muttered.

Professor Grim stopped what he was doing. He stayed frozen in place for a few moments, shook his head, and stood up. When he turned towards the blonde his expression revealed no signs of familiarity.

"Hello there, ma'am," his brows scrunched as he stared at her. "Do I know you?'

All color drained from Noche's face. Her legs began shaking; she collapsed back onto her bed and sat straight up. Professor Grim walked over to her.

"Be careful miss," he said. "Don't hurt yourself."

"Are — Are you messing with me?" She whispered. "Stop it. This isn't funny."

"I'm sorry, but I haven't the faintest idea what you're talking about."

"Grandpa, it's me. Noche."

He laughed. "Don't be silly. You can't be Noche. She's only five."

Cold seeped into her bones and chilled her blood to ice; goosebumps pricked her skin.

"B-But I'm—" her voice cracked. "Don't you remember me?"

Desperation hung in the air. It lingered in her words and the hope hidden within them.

"This joke's gone far enough," he said. "Now if you'll excuse me, I have to pack my..."

His eyes narrowed and his brows furrowed. A struggle was playing out on his face, but he didn't seem to be making any ground. Noche's hands raised to her head and brushed the hair back from her forehead. Bags hung under her eyes, which were wide with disbelief, as they began to shimmer.

"Wait... I do recognize you."

A smile flickered onto Noche's face and she wiped her eyes with the palm of one hand.

"You do?"

"How could I not recognize my own daughter?" He laughed. "You bleached your hair! It's blonde now."

Noche's expression didn't change. She didn't even blink. The blonde stayed still; frozen in place. Yet her eyes were empty and soulless.

"Listen, if you have time to stand still, then you have time to pack," he said. "We need to get everything ready for the big move. That fishing island is perfect for my research."

The old man chuckled.

"And I'm sure your kid will love it too," he smiled. "How many months are you along now?"

Professor Grim turned to Noche and paused. He was silent for a few seconds.

"You're... not pregnant? Right! You had a little girl not too long ago," he muttered. "I'm sorry, I don't know how I get so confused... What was I packing then?"

"Grandpa?" Noche squeaked.

His gaze turned to her and softened. The softness left and was replaced with distant uncertainty.

"You're not my daughter," he said. "You're... Miss? Is everything alright?"

Noche fell backwards onto the mattress; she laid there and stared at the ceiling. A pain much worse than the knife to the gut, or the electricity coursing through every cell, wracked her body.

"I... I think I was... What was I doing?" He muttered. "I'm... Looking for my granddaughter. Yes. Where's little Noche?"

"Sir. You tucked her into bed just a few minutes ago," Jack said.

"Ohhh, right. That's right," the old man smiled. "I just finished reading her that green fairy tale book. My mind's not what it used to be."

"I know sir," he said. "I know."

"Well, I'm glad to see everyone is healed and feeling better," Grim said. "Take as much time as you need. Just be quiet, Noche's fifth birthday is tomorrow and I want her to get some rest."

He walked towards the exit and opened the door.

"She's had a difficult year," He paused. "After everything she's been though. The poor girl deserves a day of happiness."

Professor Grim left the room.

There was an eternity of silence; everyone avoided each other's gazes. Only a sniffle or two came from Noche's direction, but no tears were shed. Her hands were clenching the bed so fiercely that the mattress ripped under her white knuckles.

"I'm... I'm sorry Noche," Jack said.

Her head rose and her eyes were full of water.

"Did you know?"

Jack's mouth opened; it shut without making a single sound.

"I... I had hopes that if he saw you... He'd remember," he whispered. "I didn't think he'd... I'm sorry."

Silence filled the room again. The seconds ticked by as no one spoke.

"Grim... Planned every aspect of your escape. You know," Jack said. "He made sure I didn't get caught. He made sure Edward thought you were dead. He made sure he couldn't help DeathTech ever again."

"He... Did this to himself?"

Jack nodded. "It was the same drug he used to erase your memories."

Noche closed her eyes and lowered her head. The only sound in the room was that of her breathing. Minutes passed in this quiet. Noche stood up. Her hands went to the back of her neck and she undid the clasps to her choker. She placed it onto the bed careful and slow; as if it was sacred.

Her eyes were wet when she locked them with Jack's.

"How did I get this scar?"

Boots turned his gaze away from the blonde and shut his eyes tight.

Jack frowned. "I'll show you."