━━ ◦ 🕷 ◦ ━━
As the sun gradually succumbed to the evening's call, the heavens above were blanketed by a congregation of clouds, obscuring the galaxy's glittering jewels strewn across the expansive sky. The gentle whisper of foliage, caressed by the evening zephyr, imbued a sense of calm, while pearls of rain delicately graced the window glass, weaving a serene melodic tapestry. Yet, amidst this tranquility, Sky stood perplexed, poised at the threshold of Simon's door. The weight of an impending apology sat heavily in Sky's heart. Taking a deep cleansing breath, in an attempt to marshal her strength, her knuckles barely making a sound against the wooden door.
"Simon?" she uttered, her tone wavering. Surprisingly, there was no echo of reply from within. She paused for an instant before amplifying her knock, "Simon, are you there?" Yet the silence held its ground, making her twist the doorknob. To her astonishment, the door swung open. Peeping through the narrow space, she searched for him, but he was nowhere in sight.
'Where is he?' Softly shutting the door behind her, she moved towards the office.
When Sky approached the office, a faint glow was visible through the slightly ajar door. Drawn by her natural curiosity, she edged nearer to catch a closer glimpse. Suddenly, a wave of recognizable voices washed over her from within. She leaned in, straining to decipher the intriguing chatter that filled the room.
"She's lost all sense of reality!" The intensity in Madilyn's tone was unmistakable, clearly reflecting her fury.
"She's not unstable, she has endured a great deal, let her have some space," expressed John, his words tinged with worry.
Price slid back into his chair, releasing a deep breath as he prepared to sift through the clutter of documents on his workspace. He carefully retrieved a document, his gaze scrutinizing its contents. Simon, nonchalantly leaning against the nearby wall, suddenly perked up and distanced himself from his lazy repose. He swiftly walked up to Price, subtly trying to peek into the document over his shoulder.
Hearing Simon's words ring out amongst the crowd caused a fiery sensation of dread in Sky's heart. "Choices have consequences," he declared, his tone serving as a chilling echo of the responsibilities they all bore.
Swiftly moving towards Price's desk, John cast his eyes on the paperwork. He let out an exasperated sigh, "Price, is this some kind of fucking joke?"
Price's reply was straightforward and succinct, "No."
"Has it even crossed your minds to scrutinize Maddie's role in this?" John's reply was laced with visible irritation, "Isn't it obvious that all of her meltdowns occur when Maddie is present?"
Without paying any heed to John, Price finally broke the silence. "Simon, hand her these documents. She's set for discharge," his voice echoed a sense of defeat.
Simon agreed, accepting the documents from Price. He carefully folded them, placing them securely in his pocket.
John asserted, trying to garner everyone's attention, "Hold on, let me just speak for a secon-" but his words were curtailed by Madilyn, "I swear, I've done nothing wrong to her."
"I'll give them to her tomorrow morning," Once he concluded, Price responded with a non-committal grunt. His annoyance was unmistakable, with slumped shoulders making it clear.
John cast a glance over his shoulder at Simon, with his bright blue eyes seemingly piercing right through him, "You're all going to regret this decision."
A torrent of feelings overwhelmed Simon as he braced for his impending departure. His heart felt heavy, burdened by an invisible weight. Ideally, he would have relished a chance to converse with Sky, an opportunity to alleviate the mounting stress. However, he wasn't oblivious to the intricacies of their predicament. Ironically, he now had Sky's discharge papers - documents he never imagined he'd hold in his grasp.
Before the sound of his advancing steps reached her ears, Sky succeeded in slipping into her room before her shoes even registered her exit. Teetering on the edge of the door frame, she managed to avoid an embarrassing collision.
As soon as she crossed the threshold into the sanctuary of her own space, she allowed her trembling, weary body to crumple onto the familiar softness of her bed. Lifting her damp, tear-streaked eyes towards the ceiling, she focused all her energy on calming the rapid, jagged breaths jolting her chest and stilling the unsteady tremors racking through her body. Her mind, as though in a trance, kept revisiting the shocking, almost unbelievable events of the day that led her to this moment. Unexpectedly, she was now faced with the daunting and overwhelming prospect of being discharged.
'Why do I always mess up?!' She self-reproached, her vision becoming blurry with an onslaught of tears as she gradually filled with an overwhelming feeling of regret.
With a sense of urgency, she bolted off of her bed and swiftly nabbed a bag hidden under her bed. Frenetic palpitations filled her ears as she stuffed in her uniform, handgun, and a prized family photograph. A fleeting moment of indecision swept over her as she held her treasured stuffed rabbit.
Sky allowed herself a fleeting moment of solace, savoring the comforting touch of Melody's plush faux fur and the refuge it brought. There was an undeniable tranquility that embraced her each time she held the soft, brown stuffed animal. Taking in a full lungful of air, Sky carefully secured Melody in her bag.
In the trembling grip of Sky's lips, a cigarette precariously danced. Carefully, she nudged her bedroom door open, casting a swift glance back over her shoulder as she tenderly shut the portal to her sanctuary. Every fiber of her being screamed at her to retreat, yet, she was weary of her old self, of the life she once clung to. With a sigh that seemed to draw in the very air around her, she trudged down the hallway, her body language conveying surrender and her feet dragging along the worn-out floor.
The looming anxiety was threatening to consume her, but still, she reached out to unlatch the courtyard door; her hand quivered as the latch pushed open, the chilly night breeze ushering in; purging any lingering hesitation. Sky drew another deep breath before she spurred herself to the far end of the courtyard; adrenaline coursing through her veins, while a symphony of energy, expectancy, and dreary longing filled her thoughts, realizing Simon would never come to understand her fate.
Without a doubt, she knew she was walking on a dangerous path and was probably making a colossal blunder, yet she felt compelled to move ahead. A plan was set in her mind, and nothing could deter her from completing it.
She would track down Akim Blokov, validating her suspicions about Madilyn.
Approaching the fence, she stood momentarily still, assessing the task that lay before her. Muffling her brewing anxiety, she took a dash and dived into the air, securing the fence's top effortlessly and swinging her legs across. She offered one last glance at the base, heaving a sigh of relief as her feet softly touched the other side of the fence, stepping gently onto the grass.
━━ ◦ 🕷 ◦ ━━
6:14 AM
Simon found himself trekking towards Sky's quarters in the base. He was carrying the weight of the previous day's happenings in his heart and understood the importance of addressing it sooner rather than later. He gave her door a gentle tap, eagerly anticipating a response, but all that greeted him was the thick silence of her room.
He rapped on the door once more, his knocks echoing a touch louder this time, and then he raised his voice to call out, "Sky, are you in there?"
Simon waited a few more beats before gently easing the door open. He stepped into Sky's room with caution, only to be greeted by her usual barren walls. A quick look into her bathroom revealed that it was just as deserted as the rest of her room. He quickly spun around, his eyes scanning her bedroom once more in search of Sky.
"Little mouse, where are you?" His soft utterance met nothing but an echoing quiet. A frantic search pursued, yet the room held no secrets to unveil. His chest tightened as he realized that some of her belongings were missing, her clothes, some items, and the family photo that usually had its place.
"Sky?" He tried once more, his voice carrying a trace of growing panic, yet she remained silent. Simon could feel his heart hammering persistently against his rib cage, as his thoughts spiraled out of control, inventing endless terrifying outcomes of her whereabouts.
He had conducted a thorough search, examining every nook and corner of the base, inspecting each piece of furniture as he desperately sought her. Eventually, he found himself back in the shared space, his heartbeat roaring in his ears, his breaths short and quick from stress. He sank into one of the lounge chairs, feeling an overwhelming wave of fear and hopelessness wash over him as he blankly gazed at the ceiling. He couldn't escape the guilt of his recent behavior towards her, and he longed to find her, to let out a heartfelt apology. But he knew he had squandered his chance.
"This isn't like her," He reiterated softly, the hush tones barely escaping his lips.
"She's not the type to just run off like this; she would never-" A sudden idea dawned on him, draining the color from his face beneath his balaclava. He gently lowered his arm as the understanding took hold, overwhelming him like a freight train.
'Fuck, did she–' With a rising sense of panic, his eyes grew large as the awful truth dawned on him. 'Did she hear what we were talking about in the office?'
Despair washed over him, a gut-punch of piercing sorrow, as he buried his face in his palms. Silent tear drops seeped through his fingers, a futile attempt to shield his raw vulnerability before anybody saw it. His inability to keep her safe, and to truly listen to her echoed within him as a trifecta of failure. And now, her absence was a haunting presence.
The individual who once breathed life into his existence had vanished; this instance, her whereabouts were shrouded in mystery. All he was certain of was it was her choice to disappear.