The Narval house hangar opened its doors as Beverly skillfully descended the ship. Looking through the window, I was surprised by the multitude of ships, far more than I'd seen during my time as a Narval Officer. I suppose the arrival of the techno-humans had brought with it a considerable investment in new technology. Now more than just a soldiers' hangar, it resembled a luxury ship exhibition.

Tom, the border lead was already there, waving his techno-human hand while we got out from the spaceship.

"Welcome, everybody! It's such an honor to receive this extraordinary team at Narval House," he said. A bright turquoise line descended from his forehead, splitting his eyebrow and extending down to his chin. Now, the techno-humans were sporting these types of implants just for looking fancy. Guess times had changed, and so had their priorities.

"Great to see you again, Tom," Brooke replied, shaking his hand. "Did you get a chance to review the plan I sent over?"

"Absolutely, everything's set. Follow me, please." He said.

We walked through the amazing spaceships and I couldn't help but stop to admire them. They had expanded the hangar, and now it felt like you could even get lost in it. I turned around to a Chyros red model with four engine tubes; It had an aggressive and geometric bodywork that I was obsessed with. When I made the full turn, right next to it something familiar caught my eye - a big E, printed on the upper wing of a nearby ship. A sparkle ran through my veins. I couldn't believe it. It was still there: Emma, Heather's old spaceship. Nostalgia sneaked through my skin like one thousand knives. Memories screaming inside me. 

Heather was just a few steps behind me; she would see Emma at any moment. How would she react? My heart pounded in my chest, my breath unsteady. She did a few steps forward and there it was. Frozen in front of Emma. Eyes wide as saucers, body rigid, and for the first time, a familiar gaze to me. She spent quite some time studying each part of it, until at some point her eyes looked far away. As if by scanning Emma, she could travel to the memories it evoked. I understood perfectly that feeling.

I held my breath as her eyes roamed every inch of Emma, secretly wishing she'd eventually glance my way. As if locking gazes would confirm that those memories still lingered, that we still held them dear. But at some point, Heather's gaze journey ended, and that spark that had ignited the moment she saw Emma faded away. Her eyes didn't seek me out. Not even for a fleeting moment. Instead, she turned around and followed the group outside.

This woman... I couldn't predict her anymore. A heavy weight settled in my chest. I leaned my hand and caressed Emma's bodywork. "You do care, right, Emma ?" I whispered.

Tom, the border lead, led us to the hall of the Narval House where we left our stuff. Being guided through a place I had been for so long felt odd even more so when the hall was practically the same as if that place was stuck in the past.

I half-expected to see familiar faces, but the reality was starkly different. Dozen of Techno-humans troop up and down the hall. The only thing that seemed to have changed was their uniforms, they were all decked out in black now, with this new symbol on their chests: a triangle with sharp, curved bottom points, the techno-human symbol.

"Hey, I'd love to show you how we've remodeled the training field." Tom said to Brooke.

"Of course. I was waiting for you to mention it." Brooke said.

"If you don't mind following me." Tom said.

We crossed the hall and headed out the back door toward the training field.

"What the hell?" Heather muttered in surprise, and I instantly understood the reason for her reaction. They'd ripped the sand and grass, replacing it with dull, gray pavement. The small storage shed where we kept all the training tools had also disappeared. Now, machines of various types occupied its space; rather than a training field, it seemed more like a laboratory. Seeing it like this broke my heart.

"Why the pavement? You can't learn combat techniques on pavement." Heather asked, trying to hide her annoyance.

"Techno-humans can," Tom answered. "Keeping that grass was just a waste of time."

"That makes sense." Stella said.

"Yeah, why waste resources on a natural field if you guys don't need it." Added Beverly.

There was a massive silver triangle painted on the pavement. Why did they feel the need to mark everything? As if we needed more reminders of the techno-humans' presence.

"Wait, where the hell is...?" Heather said and trailed off, her eyes scanning the field at the speed of light.

I did the same thing, puzzling over what she meant. It didn't take me long to realize. I felt a knot in my stomach. It couldn't be. Five years ago, after the attack, we'd set up a memorial area with the names of everyone who had died. We used to leave flowers there every day. Where was it?

"Where's the memorial?" I asked, scared of the answer.

"The memorial?" Tom echoed, seeming clueless.

"Yeah. The one we put up after the attack, to remember all the ones that died. It was here, where the bombs hit." Heather clarified.

"Oh, that! We had to take it down. We figured it was a bit of a downer to have such a grim reminder in a place where you're supposed to feel strong," he explained.

Heather shot him a furious glance, and for the first time, our gazes met and mirrored each other's. I was furious too. How dare they? After everything that had happened, after all the friends we'd lost.

"The memorial wasn't just a grim reminder; it was a tribute to our fallen comrades, a reminder of why we fought." Heather said, her eyes blazing, her fist clenched.

"I think it looks fantastic like this, having the wall right here is enough of a remainder," Brooke said.

"I couldn't agree more. Plus, we've got the space now to put in the latest generation training machines for Techno-humans." Tom said, pointing to two big machines on one side of the field.

Heather glared at Brooke, but she didn't even flinch.

"Come on, I'll show you how they work," he said, walking toward the machines. Stella, Beverly and Brooke followed him, but Heather stayed still, her eyes locked on the field. We kept walking following Tom and a couple of minutes later, when I glanced back, she had vanished.

Tom just kept on talking, not pausing for breath, like he hadn't uttered a word in a year. It was getting ridiculous; we had more pressing stuff to deal with than listening to his endless chatter. Brooke seemed to feel the same way because eventually, she had to butt in and remind him why we were actually there.

When we finally escaped from that never-ending tour, we got down to business. Beverly and Brooke went off to the tunnels to get the SUV ready for our departure. Stella headed to the border to check out the security system, while I was left at the Narval House, pitching in with the drones. The plan was to stage a fake attack to create a diversion, so we could slip through the tunnels unnoticed.

Heather was supposed to go to the border with Stella, but none of us had seen her since the visit to the training field. When I asked Brooke if she was worried about her, she just answered confidently: "She'll come back." But deep down, I knew Heather's anger about the memorial wasn't something to brush off lightly. She had every reason to be upset, I was too, but the timing wasn't precisely ideal. We needed her.

I closed my eyes and took a deep breath. A certain place came to my mind. I had been thinking about it since we arrived. I descended the stairs to the underground floor and found the two large gray metallic doors. Would it be just as I remembered it? My hands trembled as I grabbed the doorknob of one of the doors and pushed it. The light was dim. Dimmer than I remembered. But still, there it was. Just as impressive as always. That amazing underground pool.

But something didn't add up. The smell of chlorine. Not a trace in the air. I took a few steps forward approaching the edge of the pool and I understood everything. It was empty. Not only empty but also filled with dust and cracks. What the hell had they done?

I scanned it, my heart sinking. The paint was peeling off; the color of those shiny tacks was no longer discernible. More cracks on the right, a bunch of dust on the left and right in the middle, someone was sitting, arms wrapped around their knees: Heather.

As I stood there, Heather slowly lifted her head.

"Hey," I called out, my voice barely a whisper.

"Hey," she repeated softly.

I reached the ladder and descended into the empty pool. It felt so strange to be walking there without a drop of that once turquoise water that used to fill it.

"Mind if I join the empty pool campfire?" I asked.

She shrugged, and I settled down next to her. Anger radiated from her, but beneath it, I sensed a layer of sadness.

"You were hoping for a swim?" I asked, trying to break the tension.

Heather sighed, her gaze fixed on the desolate pool. "Yes, but it seems life never plays along with my plans,"

"Yeah, it's heartbreaking to see it like this."

There was a long silence, broken only by the echo of a single drop somewhere in the distance.

"I remember how much you loved swimming back when we were Officers. Do you still swim?" I asked.

"I haven't since then." she said.

"I'm sorry to hear that."

Heather's eyes trembled with a silver hue, her wavy strands falling around her, partially obscuring her face as if they wanted to shield her from the world.

"I wanted to ask you something." She said. 

"Of course. Shoot." 

"Who was he?" she suddenly asked, her words catching me off guard.

"Who was who?" I said, confused.

"The blond man that was making a scene at the entrance of the Nexus," she clarified.

I hesitated, not sure of how much to reveal about Erik. But I was tired of hiding things. Heather deserved to know the truth, even if it meant exposing some painful realities

"Oh. He's... Erik, a friend," I said.

Heather nodded. "He looked so desperate to find you, he almost pulled the Nexus fence down," she said.

"Yes. He didn't want me to leave without saying goodbye. He's the most caring person in the world. He's always been like that, especially with Michael." I said. Damn it, why did I have to bring Michael into this? "Sorry, forget I said that."

"Michael?" she repeated her voice barely above a whisper. "As in your brother, Michael?"

I nodded, bracing myself for what was to come.

She pondered for a second and then continued. "For one moment, when I saw his prosthesis on the back of his head, I thought you might have made some techno-human friends." She said.

"Yeah, well... Erik was forced to get that implant...It was a punishment, he's not a techno-human," I clarified.

"A punishment? That's sad, he seemed like a nice guy." She said.

"He is. The worst part is that thing makes him have mental glitches. He's been forgetting things." I explained, feeling a pang of guilt.

Heather's expression softened, her gaze distant as she processed the information. "Maybe it's for the best," she mused.

I furrowed my brow. "Why do you say that?"

"Sometimes there are memories that are better left forgotten," she said.

"Like... our past together?" I asked.

Heather looked at me, clearly taken aback. "I had forgotten how straightforward you are." She said and a flicker of discomfort crossed her face.

"Some things never change," I replied with a smile, trying to ease the tension "So?" I prompted, eager to hear her thoughts.

"I'm not sure I want to go down that road." She said.

She dodged eye contact, so I shifted my position to face her, encouraging her to meet my gaze.

"I know things didn't end well between us, but that doesn't mean we can't have a civil conversation about it." I said, hoping to break through the walls she had erected.

She pursed her lips. Damn, she didn't like that idea.

"That's easy for you to say. You have no idea what I've been through." She said, her eyes as daggers on me.

"Well, maybe I would know if you told me."

Heather scoffed "Oh, of course, a casual chat about the good old days when you shattered my heart into a million pieces. How thoughtful of you."

"Do you think you are the only one who has gone through hell?" I said. Couldn't stand her acting like the only victim here.

"Please, spare me your pity party. I bet you've had a miserable life in the luxury of the Nexus Court, not to mention your cozy little rendezvous in Brooke's room," Heather spat out, her sarcasm hitting me like a slap in the face.

"You don't know anything about how my life has been. For someone supposedly eager to forget me, you seem surprisingly fixated," I retorted.

"You're delusional," she shot back, her tone icy cold.

Alright, that was it. I stood up, ready to walk away. I didn't have the energy to keep arguing. "We both made mistakes," I said softly. "But we can't change the past and as painful as it is I would never want to forget it."

Heather looked away "I wish I could say the same." She said.

"Then why are you here? Why were you mad at Tom for taking down the memorial? Don't you want to forget everything?" I said and the question lingered in the air. Heather remained silent.

I took a deep breath. "Look, I'm not expecting us to solve anything tonight. But maybe... just maybe, we could recognize that we're both still here trying to figure it all out. Trying to piece together our past."

Heather didn't even spare me a glance, let alone an answer. I sighed and turned to leave. There wasn't much more I could do. As much as I longed to bridge the gap between us, it felt like an impossible mission when she seemed intent on pulling away every time I reached out.

As I got to the ladder, ready to climb out of the empty pool, Heather's voice stopped me in my tracks.

"Grace, wait." she called out, her tone softer than before.

I turned around slowly, unsure of what to expect. She walked toward me.

I waited, holding my breath, as she gathered her thoughts.

"I've... I've changed, Grace. Maybe you're right... maybe we need to acknowledge our past. But right now, all I feel is like running away from it." Heather said.

"It's okay. If that is what you need I'll try to step aside as much as I can. But I want you to know that when you're ready, you won't be alone as you look back." I said.

Heather took a deep breath, her eyes meeting mine. "Thanks."

We remained frozen, our gazes locked as if an invisible agreement had been signed. My body, impulsive as always, was screaming to touch her skin, to hold her hand, to hug her — something to seal the difficult conversation we just had. But after so many years, I had learned that letting emotions take over was not always the best decision. So I suppressed that desire and reached out my hand towards her.

"Truce?" I said.

"Truce," she replied, shaking it. Her hand, as I remembered, warm and soft.

It wasn't a resolution, not by a long shot, but it was a start. And for now, that was enough.

Hey lovely reader! 💘

First of all, thanks for being here for another week!! :D You're the absolute best!!!

This chapter has been difficult to write because I barely had time!! But I'm so happy to start seeing how Grace and Heather are trying to piece their relationship together again... We'll see where this goes. What do you think about the changes in the Narval House? The memorial gone... do you agree with them or with Heather? And what about the empty pool?

Can't wait to know your insights; you're always so clever. Thank you so much for reading, and remember I love you waaaaay too much! 💖

Ava 💫