The blood loss had been massive. They rushed her to the operating room and pushed me away amidst a collapsed medical bay. All rooms were full of injured officers. Cries and moans of pain filled the air. The hallways were filled with doctors sprinting back and forth to help the many wounded who kept arriving.

I couldn't slow my breath, nor could I stop my tears from sprouting at any time. I felt shattered. That painful image was stuck in my mind, replaying in a loop. Why, Michael, why?! The sadness and rage I contained blurred my sight. Had that really happened? It felt unreal. Could I have prevented it? My mind couldn't stop scanning for all the possible alternative realities. I could have solved it in many other ways! Stupid Grace! I wanted to scratch my skin violently until I drew blood. If anything happened to her... Ugh, I could never forgive myself.

Suddenly, my heart raced as if boosted by an unnatural force. It released a surge of adrenaline that coursed through my entire body. I tried to catch my breath, but my lungs blocked. I gasped as strongly as I could, but nothing came. My body failed to respond. A cold sweat washed over me as I collapsed to the floor. A nurse spotted me and rushed to my aid.

"Calm down, calm down," she said wrapping her arms around me.

I looked at her, unable to speak. The feeling of my heart threatening to give out consumed my mind at its rapid pace.

"Hey, breathe with me. You're okay. It's a panic attack." she said.

A panic attack? I had never experienced one before.

She helped me move to the side, where I could lean against the wall. Settling beside me, she took my hand and linked our Reg bracelets until a reassuring beep emitted.

"Grace, right?" the nurse said, reading the name that popped up on her bracelet. "Listen to me. It will pass. Trust me. Just let it happen because it will go away."

Her soft voice was comforting, and it made me feel better. Gradually, the tension in my chest began to ease, and my heart rate slowed down. The frenzy my body had been caught in seemed to recede with each passing moment. I took a deep breath, and finally, the air could penetrate my lungs. What the hell had happened to me?

"See? It's gone." The nurse said.

As I exhaled, tears mingled with relief cascaded down my cheeks.

"Let it all go, honey." She said softly as I cried.

I allowed myself to collapse onto the nurse's shoulder. She didn't pull away; instead, she gently stroked my hair.

"A lot has happened, it's totally natural to feel this way, don't hold it back." The nurse said empathetically.

That was true. A lot had happened. And the worst part was that I was the only one who knew. Michael had vanished into the darkness of the tunnels. After all this time looking for him... After all this time dreaming of finding him, of hugging him and laughing with him. After all the fear and uncertainty, and Erik's sacrifice, everything had swept away. And now all was reduced to nothing.

And Heather... Well, thinking about her was like feeling a hundred knives stabbing my heart. Each one provoked by a different emotion: sadness, guilt, rage... love. I couldn't erase her bewildered gaze when I pointed my laser gun at her. She had never looked at me that way. I hated myself so much!

The nurse glanced at my heart rate on her Reg bracelet while gently stroking my hair. "I like thoes numbers going back to normal. You're better now."

I rose from her shoulder and smiled at her. I had truly missed an empathetic person. Someone who didn't suggest that suppressing emotions was the best approach like everyone else did there.

"Take it easy, Grace," the nurse said, standing up with a wide smile.

"Wait, what's your name?" I asked.

She turned to me. "Claire."

"Thank you, Claire."

"You're welcome," As she turned to leave, shiny metal and turquoise light points emerged from the back of her head. I stared at them in surprise. So, she was a techno-human, huh? A kind and empathetic one at that. I didn't know they could appear so emotionally, especially with strangers.

I sat on a chair next to the door where I had seen Heather disappear for the last time. Everything had happened so fast. The shot. The run. Her gaze losing strength. The sound of her body collapsing to the ground. It was like one of those nightmares you cannot wake up from. And it was far from ending.

"Grace?" I turned to the familiar voice.

Kate stood in the hallway, concern crossing her face in a way I had never seen before. Her Narval uniform was sodden with a blend of mud and blood. I rushed at her, and we wrapped our arms around each other. Oh God, thank goodness Kate was alright.

"Are you okay?" I asked her immediately once we moved away.

"I've been better. But yeah, I'm fine. How is she?"

"I don't know, they took her inside and that's it," I said with a hint of frustration in my voice.

"Well, no news is good news. I can't believe what happened. How are you?" She asked, gazing at my uniform, now stained with Heather's blood.

"Still processing."

"Yeah, me too."

We remained in silence for a moment, my hands still shaking. Kate looked at the time impatiently.

"This could take several hours. I'll go back to the training field; we're short on hands there. You should come." she suggested.

"I can't leave her."

Kate sighed. "You can, and you should. There are still lives to be saved. We'll come back later."

"No."

There was no way I was leaving her alone. I couldn't. Not after everything that had happened. Not after what I had done, what Michael had done. I had to be there when she woke up... if that ever happened. Ugh, no, I couldn't even think of it.

"She's in good hands right now. There's nothing else we can do. Waiting here is a waste of time." Kate insisted.

I pondered her words. The situation was critical, and we still didn't know the magnitude of the attack. Injured people were arriving every moment. We needed as much help as possible.

Suddenly, a nurse rushed out of the operating room. I stopped her, almost making her stumble upon me.

"How is she?" I asked immediately.

"Who are you?" She asked.

Kate interjected "We are Heather Anderson's colleagues from the Narval House"

The nurse briefly looked at our devastated uniforms which seemed to convince her.

"We are working. I can't say much more. She is stable so far, but there's still a lot to do. I can't stop now, sorry," she replied hurriedly before rushing off again.

I gazed at Kate concerned and she took my hand kindly.

"She'll be okay. It's Heather we're talking about, remember? She's a force of nature." Her lips formed a faint smile.

Kate was a good friend. I felt bad that I had left her aside in the past months because she had always been there for me or Heather. I took a deep breath, and having made up my mind, I said, "Alright, let's go."

* * *

My soul froze at the smoky, gray, and dreadful sight of what once was our training field. The floor was broken, and cracks surged and grew as if desperately escaping destruction. The grass was charred and blackened, crumbling to ash beneath our feet. Fires still burned on each side of the field and a suffocating smell of burnt, sour debris followed you everywhere. But that wasn't the worst of it all. A large group of newcomers lay on the ground as if someone had thrown them away like lifeless puppets. I couldn't believe it. The training field had suffered by far the bloodiest explosion.

The Phoenix group had already withdrawn, but now we could clearly see what they had taken. The toll was staggering - more than forty newcomers were killed. Most of them were youths who had braved this wall seeking for a mirage called "a better life". Ha, "a better life." It felt like a cruel joke.

We dashed towards the group and joined several Narval Officers who were already securing the injured. My heart sank further when I found Rachel buried beneath the rubble. We also found some Phoenix Group soldiers among the dead. They were also young and I couldn't help to wonder what were their stories. Surely not so different from ours. Was there no safe place to live in this shitty world?

Kate and I exchanged glances every moment. As if reinforcing each other on the horrible task we were undertaking. After several hours, we had identified all the dead. Luckily Michael had escaped along with all the other members of the Phoenix group that had survived.

Kate left with the last injured ones for the hospital, while I stopped at the Narval House. I needed to change and get some clothes for Heather. I wanted her to feel as comfortable as possible when she woke up.

I came into my room and began changing when I heard someone sobbing. I turned around. Laura was curled up on her bed, crying.

"Laura? I'm so, so glad to see you," I said as I approached the side of her bed.

She looked at me, with her face soaked with tears and we both hugged.

"Are you okay?" I asked

"No," she replied.

"Yeah, what a stupid question, right? And yet, it's what we're all asking each other..." I said.

"It's okay. I don't know what to ask either. I can't even bring myself to leave the room. I'm too scared."

I sat down beside her on the bed and wrapped an arm around her, offering comfort.

"Where's Mark?" I said, realizing his absence.

"Haven't you heard?" she mumbled.

"No. What?"

"Mark... was arrested,"

"What do you mean, arrested?" I interrupted, shocked.

"He was part of the Phoenix group, he was with them..." she explained hesitantly.

My mind went blank. "What?!"

"I can't believe it either. They said he was a mole. He passed on all the info needed for this attack," she continued.

No, Mark. No. Damn it. Was all this because of him? Time seemed to stand still as my mind struggled to make sense of the situation.

"Apparently, he planned to leave with them today after the attack. But we caught him. Still, this doesn't make sense to me... How could anybody know anything?" she pondered aloud.

Her last words blocked my breathing. I knew. I knew and I didn't say anything. I had seen Mark on the electric tower the night the tunnels flooded. The same night a bunch of data was stolen. I had the chance to warn Heather when she asked me about it. But I didn't. I could have prevented... everything. All the deaths, Heather's shot... Michael running away. None of this would have happened if I had told the truth. And Mark... How could he? He was my friend. Our friend. Was he?

"Grace?" Laura's voice pulled me back to the present, but I couldn't answer. Guilt was devouring me from the inside out. Suddenly, my Reg bracelet vibrated.

It was Kate; my heart raced at her message: H is awake.

Hey there, readers! 💖

Writing this chapter was quite an intense experience for me, and I hope it had a similar impact on you. Now, I'm really curious about your thoughts on Heather's reaction to everything that's happened. Put yourself in her shoes for a moment – what would you feel? How do you think she's going to react to Grace?

Love you all and thanks for the support, every comment means the world to me! 😄

Ava 💫