Katherine and Adam were lucky.
There were photos of them together that have been surfacing across the vast world of the internet. And for a mont, when it felt like it would go viral, everyone’s attention was completely sowhere else.
It was the mont when the entire world stopped for a mont—schools were closed, the market was paused, and businesses had shut down.
The day before the 244th Ga has arrived. The IBAA was incredibly busy, scattered all across the globe, so of them going door to door to remind everyone of the drills they had studied throughout the years.
[The 244th Battle will begin in one hour!]
While everyone was busy either preparing or dreading the upcoming Ga, there were several groups of Heroes who were doing absolutely nothing. The Heroes belonging to the RLRD of different countries.
Any other day, they would be running around. But this hour, all of them were just gathered around in the living room—and US’s RLRD was no different.
If there was anything different, it was that they were all quiet, even Harvey; their usual chaos replaced by an oppressive silence.
Evan sat hunched forward on the couch, his fingers drumming against his knee in perfect rhythm with the wall clock’s ticking. Each tap echoed through the room like a heartbeat counting down to judgnt.
In the kitchen, Selene sipped tea with graceful slowness while Beatrice was opening another packet of nicotine patches—her neck was already full, so she was putting it on her left arm... since her right also no longer had any spaces.
Mira crouched in the corner, sharpening her claws against a whetstone. Ryan sat with Buster curled in his lap, both of them perfectly still. Caleb stared at the ceiling, his massive fra unusually tense. Derek cleaned his gear for the third ti that hour, putting and pulling them out of his shadows.
As for Adam, he held the Shion across his knees, eyes closed, breathing steady. Like most of them, he was just waiting.
The clock’s second hand swept closer to the hour mark.
Evan’s drumming slowed.
Then stopped.
Everything and everyone turned quiet. The silence stretching and deepening to the point that everyone could hear a quiet whistle whisper in their ears.
Then a loud voice bood from nowhere and everywhere at once.
[Here we go! Get ready for the 244th Battle! Troops will be deployed in one hour!]
Adam’s eyes snapped open. He was still in the RLRD building, and so was everyone else.
"Ha..." Harvey leaned back, his shoulders sagging as he wiped the bead of sweat threatening to trail down his face.
"Ugh, I always hate that." Harvey whispered, "Why always the suspense, you know?"
"You said that last month," Leona sighed, patting her miniature golems as they also seed to sigh in relief.
"Another month," Beatrice whispered, peeling off the nicotine patches from her neck.
Evan resud his drumming, this ti with a lighter rhythm. Mira set down her whetstone. Ryan scratched Buster behind the ears.
Everyone slowly returned to their own activities, so of them shrugging as they relaxed.
Sabrina grabbed the remote and flicked on the television, cycling through news channels.
"Ugh. This is going to be a pain again. I wonder how many will die this ti? Do you think there will be a Do near us? If there was, the chance of a Leak popping up would be high, and we would have our—"
"Sabrina, relax."
And as everyone started to settle, Adam stood quietly. He still held the Shion, and without even saying a word, he walked toward the door.
"Where you going?" Harvey called out.
"Just need so air," Adam replied, not turning around. "Going for a walk."
Everyone watched as he stepped outside into the afternoon light. The door closed behind him with a soft click.
Harvey started to rise from his chair. "Wait! I have sothing to buy. Let’s go—"
"Let him be," Leona said, placing a gentle hand on Harvey’s arm. She sighed deeply. "It’s only been a month since his last Ga. He’s probably just relieved that he won’t be coming back to that hell anyti soon."
"That’s..." Harvey blinked, but then nodded. The others also subtly nodded their heads in understanding. They all rembered that feeling—that first month that they wouldn’t have to get called into the Ga as Creeps anymore.
The first month, they wouldn’t have to fight for their lives.
"First few tis are always the worst," Caleb said quietly.
"He’ll move on. He’s very strong," Sabrina murmured, still flipping channels.
Unbeknownst to them, Adam was indeed walking, but not aimlessly. He was walking toward the helicopter.
He opened the aircraft door. His motorcycle already sat secured in the cargo bay.
"Hey, Hoss." And Chip was also there, already in the pilot’s seat, running through pre-flight checks.
Chip glanced back over his shoulder. "You ready?"
"Yes," Adam said, climbing into the passenger seat. "Have you found out where the nearest Do is?"
"About six hours northeast. Middle of nowhere, Montana," Chip said. "If we go now, we will get there before the relief unit."
Adam nodded, buckling his harness. "Let’s go."
"I have no idea why we’re going, but as I said, I can’t land near it. Just promise I won’t get in trouble, Hoss."
"You won’t get in trouble. Let’s go."
"Roger that, Hoss. Buckle up."
The rotors began to spin, slowly at first, then building to a thunderous whir.
From a distant rooftop, a figure watched through binoculars as the helicopter lifted off. The figure pulled out a phone and dialed.
"This is Hawk. Patient Zero has left the building," the voice said,
"I have already put a tracker on the chopper. I’d advise caution."
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