A/N: So I have an excuse for this late update! It was Labor Day, and I was gone camping with absolutely NO service. That is why I didn't update ;) But anyways, I hope you all had a great Labor Day weekend! Now, on to the chapter!

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02 - 17 - 2089

My mind swims in a haze of drugs, empty and void. I'm floating in the endless darkness, silently screaming for someone to save me. Nothing responds to my commands. I'm trapped here, while Cade is out there in the real world. 

I want to go back.

-

I'm still in the darkness, and I wonder if I'm dead. Part of me is relieved that I don't have to fight anymore, that I can finally have peace. But Cade isn't dead, and I can't bear to leave him. My mind refuses to accept that this is the end. That Doctor Acosta is going to perform the surgery and I won't recover. 

I want to go back. 

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There'a flicker in the darkness. Like the quick flash of a light, or the blink of an eye. Maybe my body hasn't given up after all. A bit of hope trickles into my empty mind, a spark in the darkness. My mind reaches towards it, stretching and pulling for something, anything, to pull me out of this hole. 

I want to go back.

-

I'm fighting. I'm reaching, reaching, reaching for a handhold. But I keep slipping. One step forward, two hundred back. I can't understand what is stopping me. Can't figure out what is keeping me under. 

There. Another flash in the perpetual night. I cry out, scream, thrash, anything to make my body move towards it. 

The flash brightens. Someone is pulling at the web of darkness covering me, helping to pull me back. I can't stop, can't let those efforts be in vain. I'm moving towards the light now, and I can't stop. My body is sluggish, unmovable, unmanageable. 

A hand reaches out for me, strong and confident. I stretch out my arm, straining to touch it. To touch life. But something is holding me back. I look down, seeing a tether around my ankle. Dark, inky webs hold me back from the hand. I reach down and pry it away, letting the tether fly back to the darkness. 

Then I rise again and grab the hand.

-

"...Gis!"

Pain splits my sides as my eyes shoot open. My lungs fill up with breath for the first time in who knows how long. Deep, wondrous breath. I shoot up, my head swimming and my vision blurred. Someone grabs my arm, and then I hear a voice. 

"Gis, you're okay. I'm right here." Cade's voice is so welcome I let out a sob at the sound of it. I blink past the tear pouring down my face to see his dark hair and kind eyes right next to me. I shake my head, opening my mouth to speak. 

But nothing comes out. 

"Shh, breathe. Just breathe," Cade encourages me as he supports my swaying form. "Take a moment to breathe."

"We don't have a moment!" Another voice, also familiar, but I can't quite place it. 

Cade's grip on my arm tightens ever so slightly, even as I sway towards him. Everything's so blurry, and my stomach feels like it's going to explode. I try to press a hand against my eyes, but miss. 

"We only have a minute before they realize where we are. One minute before we're trapped." The strange voice is clearer now, coming from across the room. 

I reach for my eyes again, finally making contact and wiping away some of the blur. I blink furiously, peering around the well lit room. Shock hits me hard as I realize I'm still in the operating room. But the room is a mess, the machines trashed and scattered, several people on the floor. Cade is standing next to me while I sit on the table, and there is one other person across the room, by the door. 

Chestnut brown hair, cunning eyes, a devious smile. I have to blink again as I realize Enzo is standing there, staring at me. I'm about to try and touch him to see if he's real, when he speaks again. 

"Hey there." His tone is soft, so different from the tone he used moments ago. I stare at him, still unsure of what I'm seeing, when Cade tugs on my arm. 

"Can you try to walk?" Cade helps me off the cold table and stand. My head spins a bit, but not too much. I try to take a step forward, only to have my legs buckle in pain. 

Before I can hit the ground, Cade sweeps down and lifts me into his arms. I release a heavy breath and wrap my arms around his neck, burying my face in his shoulder. I can hardly believe this is real, and I disregard the billions of questions that ram against my thoughts. The questions that say this can't be real. It can't be happening. 

"It's going to be okay," Cade whispers in my ear, his breath warm on my face. "We're going to get out of here."

"Follow me," Enzo says, and then we're walking. I keep my face buried in Cade's shoulder as we hurry down the hallways, trusting that they know where to go. My hands don't loosen their grip on Cade at all, part of me worried he'll disappear if I don't hold on tight enough.

A shout echoes down the hallway, which encourages Cade to pick up his pace. I peek out from his shoulder to see several soldiers running down the hallway after us. 

"This isn't good," Cade says, his grip firm around me as he runs down the hallway now. 

"I know, I know!" Enzo yells back. "Just keep close."

We reach the end of the hallway and enter a stairwell I've never seen before. The hall is dimly lit, but I can easily see the other men positioned there and my mouth opens in warning. 

Enzo shakes hands with one of the men, a bald guy with dark skin, which tells me the men must be his friends. It makes sense, as they are all dressed in odd clothes instead of the government issued uniforms. 

"Time to make some noise." Enzo grins towards me and races down the stairs after the group of men, Cade and I right behind him. 

I look to Cade in confusion as we run. He glances at me, his breath coming in hard and fast. "Enzo brought friends," he wheezes. His eyes tell me he'll explain the rest later, and I nod so he knows I understand. 

We reach the bottom of the staircase after a moment and the men flood out the door into the loading bay where I tried to escape so long ago. The place is already chaos. Soldiers are fighting with other men on Enzo's side as guns go off and shouting fills the air. 

Enzo breaks away from the rest of his pack and leads Cade and I behind a stack of crates to wait a moment. He says we need to wait for the right time before we can make our exit. He glances at me, noticing my gaze, and grins. 

I try to ask him a question with my gaze, try to ask him why he is here. And here for me, nonetheless. 

Enzo checks the rifle he's holding. "We all heard what was going on from the news," he says quietly, so quiet I can barely hear him above the noise. "I have some connections in my town, and well, I couldn't leave you here to these guys."

I clear my throat, rubbing it for a moment. "Enzo..." My voice is a whisper, and he leans forward to hear me. "Th-thank you." 

Enzo nods, then turns away and glances around the edge of the crates. When he turns back, his demeanor is rock once again, determined and focused. Cade readjusts his grip on me, but I shake my head. 

"I... want to walk." I can feel my legs are stronger than before, so he releases me and helps me stand. Wrapping a firm arm around my shoulders, Cade helps me follow after Enzo when he gives us the "all clear" signal. 

We rush out from behind the crates and into the chaos. Instantly, I spot our destination. A waiting jeep just outside the open doors. Enzo runs through the chaos with a solid determination, shooting where needed and shoving people aside to make a path for Cade and I. 

I'm already considering how I can truly thank him for everything he is doing when it happens. Time seems to slow, just to a crawl, as Enzo shoves aside a soldier who gets in his way. But before he can take the soldier out with a well placed bullet, the soldier kicks him. 

Enzo stumbles backwards, landing on his back, his gun flying into the chaos. I can see this all in slow motion as he struggles to rise and I'm reaching for him, his name on my lips. I need to get to him, to help him, to do something. 

But Cade pulls me back as the soldier stands over Enzo, his gun raised, and fires. 

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