Goodbye, Chad.

...

"What are you waiting for?! Move!!"

BANG!

Brent fires another shot at the wall, a warning to get them moving down using the harness suit positioned at the edge.

"MOVE!!" He keeps yelling.

But instead of obeying, Chad slowly approaches Brent with frustration clear in his eyes.

"Why are you doing this?!"

"Do what?!"

"This!!" Chad gestures angrily.

"We would have succeeded if you hadn't snitched halfway through. And you even told them where Selena and the others are? Why? Just why?! I know you hate me, but why do this to everyone?!"

Brent pauses for a moment. "Hate you? No, Chad, you've got it all wrong."

He steps closer, lowering his pistol slightly. "I'm not doing this because I hate you, even though that's part of it. I'm doing this because I don't want to get dragged into your stupid plan."

"Then you could've just refused to go! Why betray us and work with the terrorists?!"

"Because that was the only way we could stay alive. Your plan is dangerous and risky, and you've already proven it's going to fail—"

"IT WAS BECAUSE OF YOU, DAMN IT!!"

Chad's anger erupts, his words like a sudden explosion. He yells at Brent, who quickly raises the pistol back at him.

"Whoa, whoa, don't get ahead of yourself! Enough with the shit-talking. Get the hell out of here, now!"

The three of them continue to stare at him in silence. It's clear that none of them want to go down, but hesitation grips their minds as Brent's Glock remains pointed at them—

BANG!!

Only when Brent fires another warning shot do the stubborn trio start to worry and fear for their lives.

"Do you think I won't dare to shoot?!"

As Brent levels his gun at them and asks the question, Chad steps forward and looks him directly in the eye. "...No, no, I don't."

"Chad."

"I don't think you're brave enough to shoot—"

"CHAD!"

Neil's voice pulls Chad's attention back.

"Let's just go..."

"Mister Neil?! What are you thinking?!"

"We failed! That's it! I told you before, didn't I? The moment things go sideways, we stop. This is that moment!"

"But we're almost there! The bomb is set, we just need Brent out of the way and we'll be done. Are you saying we should compromise and let Brent disable the bomb—"

"YES!!" He shouts. "That's exactly what I mean! We're done, it's over! How many times do I have to say it?"

"Just tell me why?! Why?!"

...

Neil turns away, mumbling under his breath.

"Because... I don't want any more of us to die."

"..."

Though Neil's voice is faint, Chad hears it just enough to understand how Neil feels. Sympathy wells up in him, and he lowers his head, staring at the ground in frustration and helplessness.

"You've got 20 seconds left," Brent warns. "The C4 is ticking, and either you let me disarm it safely, or I'll toss it to you."

Chad wants to act, but if Neil - his teacher, the most capable and experienced one here, can't do anything, what chance does he have? As the seconds tick by with no solution in sight, Chad's frustration and anger grow, his fists clenching tightly in response to his own uselessness.

Suddenly, Roy startles Chad by placing a hand on his shoulder from behind.

"Let's go, Chad." Roy whispers.

With Neil and Roy's sincere pleas, Chad finally gives up any last thoughts of resisting and follows them to the harness suit hanging at the edge of the floor.

It takes them, specifically Neil, some time to put the harness suit on and get to the edge of the building, now suspended in mid-air, about 400 meters (1,300 feet) above the ground.

"I think this is how you wear a harness suit, right?!" Neil asks the other two, his voice laced with extreme anxiety. He's slightly afraid of heights, and this is his first time wearing one.

"I don't know, maybe that's how people wear it on the Internet." Neil says, his uncertainty evident.

Though they managed to figure out how to wear the suit using their prior knowledge, it seemed "safe" from what they saw.

"How are we going to go down? There are three of us, and the harness is only for one person," Chad wonders.

"We'll go down two at a time." Neil suggests. "I'll hold one of you and descend first, then come back and get the other."

"Why don't we just use the stairs?" Roy questions.

"Because big Brent clearly doesn't trust us. He thinks we'll just sneak back up." Chad mocks, glancing back to see Brent still glaring at them menacingly.

"...Okay, let's move. Who's first?"

Both hesitate, partly due to their fear of heights and uncertainty about the harness's safety.

"Chad, I think you should go first!" Roy decides, opting to go second.

"Oh... okay." Chad hesitates but eventually moves toward Neil, who is still hanging over the edge.

"Careful, careful," Neil says, trying to steady himself as he hangs in mid-air, his body wrapped tightly in the harness.

"Yeah, that's right." Once Neil secures Chad in his arms and holds him tightly, they start moving down.

The harness is a network of blue straps that encircle Neil's chest, shoulders, and legs, holding him firmly. A hook on his back is attached to the balcony, allowing him to descend slowly, floor by floor, using the outer walls to push off.

"Chad, listen to me."

"Huh?!"

Just as Neil is about to take his first step down, Roy suddenly calls out to Chad, who is held in Neil's arms.

"There's only 3 minutes left till the bomb explodes, I don't think it would be enough to come back for me."

Roy suddenly becomes pessimistic, and Chad is startled and worried as he is entirely off-ground, facing the street just four hundred meters below.

"Roy, what are you saying? Brent will disable the bomb when we move down to the lower floors."

"Yeah... unless there is someone to stop him."

Chad takes a moment to understand what Roy is implying.

"No... No!! Don't do something stupid like that, Roy! He's got a gun! He'll kill you before you can do anything!"

"It's still better than doing nothing, Chad. Either I stop him and destroy the bomb here, or we all die when we get down there!"

"This is crazy!! Don't do this! Come with us! We'll come back for you, no matter what!"

"That's too risky, Chad."

"It's still better than seeing you get killed—"

"It's better than all of us getting killed!"

Roy yells at Chad, silencing him. Brent stands behind, watching them in silence, curious about what's happening.

"I'm sorry, Chad. I've made my decision."

Feeling powerless to change Roy's mind, Chad turns to Neil for help.

"Mister Neil, say something!"

"…Roy."

"???"

"Can we trust you?"

"What?!" Chad exclaims in shock.

"Can we leave you to deal with Brent and the bomb?"

"What the hell are you saying?!!" Chad yells.

"Yes, yes, I can."

Hearing Roy's firm words, Neil looks at him with a slight smile and nods.

"That's it! I'm coming back up!!"

Frustrated by his inability to change the situation, Chad starts moving and pushing Neil away. He grabs the balcony and begins pulling himself back up.

"What are you doing?!"

In response, Neil holds him back while Roy pushes him down.

"Sorry, Chad. I can't let you do that!" Roy says.

"Don't do this, please! It's suicidal!!" Chad exclaims, still trying to climb back up.

"This whole plan is suicidal. In fact, it was a suicidal idea from the start."

"..."

Roy's words shut Chad up instantly. It means everything that's happening is Chad's fault, even if Roy doesn't say it outright. The guilt sinks in, and Chad stops resisting.

"So stay there, and listen to me, please."

Chad returns to Neil's arms, staying silent. Roy places his hands on the balcony, looking down at Chad, and begins to speak.

"I might know how to stop Brent. He's just narcissistic, and I can use that against him. But the only thing holding me back is... I'm really scared."

"Then don't do this!"

"But I have to. I'm the only one who can."

"Why? Why not me or Mister Neil?!"

"Mister Neil is the only one who can keep us safe, and you're too smart and too important to die, Chad."

"What? What do you mean?"

"... I... don't want you to die."

Roy blinks slowly, then continues speaking.

"You know what, Chad? Ever since I met you, my life has changed a lot. You were enthusiastic, intelligent, ambitious, funny, and most importantly, you're kind.

You treat everyone the same, you care for the weak and the poor no matter who they are, and you never turn a blind eye to injustice. That's why you always helped me when I was bullied at school. You made yourself the target so I wouldn't be."

"You saved me so many times. You told me I could be who I wanted to be, do what I wanted to do, without worrying about what others think. Because no matter what, you'd always be my friend.

That's who you are, Chad. You're kind and too good for this world. That's why I don't want you to die. I want you to live, fulfill your dreams of becoming a scientist, be with the girl you like, and find the happiness you've always deserved."

"..."

Chad is speechless. Throughout all their high school years together, he never knew how Roy really felt about him. He always saw Roy as normal, shy, a bit of a scaredy-cat, just an average guy.

Hearing Roy's true feelings shocks Chad. His friend wasn't who he thought. Roy was considerate, understanding, and deeply empathetic.

"Roy..."

"So... I guess... this is goodbye. I'm grateful, Chad. Thank you... for everything you've done for me, and... I'm sorry."

"What?!"

Roy quickly unwraps the hooked wire from the balcony, making sure all the safety precautions are in place and the hook is secure.

With that, Neil and Chad begin free-falling from the top of the Empire State Building, plummeting until they reach the length of the hook wire.

As they fall, time seems to slow for Chad. The last thing he sees is Roy's gentle smile, looking at his best friend one final time.

"ROY!!!!"

"Hold tight, Chad! Hold tight!!"

Neil tells Chad to hold on tight, wrapping his left arm around him while his other hand grabs the wire, trying to reduce the impact as the hooking wire nears its limit.

The ground rushes closer with every millisecond, and the air slams into their faces, growing stronger as they accelerate, obeying the laws of physics. They hold their breath in fear, clutching each other, bracing for a sudden stop - or worse, an impact.

"HUK!!"

At last, the wire reaches its maximum length. Its elasticity reduces the force of inertia and the combined weight of the two as they stop. The wire stretches beyond its normal length for a brief moment, then quickly snaps back to its original position.

Neil somehow manages to hold Chad tightly, keeping him from falling, even though there's nothing else holding him but Neil.

However, because they fell at an angle, gravity and the wire now take over, pulling them horizontally toward the Empire State Building.

"WOAHHH!!!"

The high-speed swing sends them crashing through a mid-floor window, shattering the glass. The impact forces Neil to drop Chad, who rolls across the floor, slamming into the walls.

"Ouch... Augh..." Chad winces in pain, breathing heavily as he struggles to get up.

"Roy! Roy!!!" Thoughts of his friend consume Chad's mind. Each image of Roy's face intensifies his urgency. The weight of his friend's peril feels suffocating, driving Chad to desperation.

"Mister Neil, we have to go back for Roy!!!"

Chad's voice is a frantic plea, his eyes wide with panic as he watches Neil struggle with the harness suit. His body trembles with worry, the fear of losing Roy gripping him tightly.

Neil finally manages to get the harness off, gasping for air, sweat dripping down his face. The intensity of the situation is taking its toll. "Hugh... hugh..." Neil's breaths are ragged, his heart racing.

"Mister Neil, please hurry!!!" Chad urged, his anxiety evident on his face.

"I'm on it—"

Neil began, but his words were cut off by the sudden appearance of a terrorist just outside the door. Time seems to slow, each movement of the terrorist stretching into an agonizing eternity.

BRAAAT!! BRAAAT!!

The terrorist starts firing his AK, bullets tearing through the room with a deafening roar, each shot echoing like a hammer striking metal. The walls explode under the relentless assault. Chad and Neil dive for cover as the room erupts into a chaotic battlefield.

The more bullets the terrorists fire, the more of them arrive to reinforce their comrade, drawn by the sound of gunfire.

"I guess I have to deal with these guys first!" Neil shouted, his voice firm as he prepared to fight back.

"You motherfuckers!" Chad roared, his anger and frustration boiling over.

"Woah! Stay down, Chad! I'll handle them! You need to stay alive if you want to get back up there!"

"I want to kill them!" Chad's voice is fierce, his desire for revenge overpowering his sense of self-preservation.

"I know! But Roy wouldn't want you to die here either. You need to stay alive if you want to see Roy again, got it?!"

Chad hesitates, his anger warring with the urgency in Neil's words. "Yes..." he finally agrees, though his fists remain clenched in frustration.

"Good. Now stay here."

Neil emerges from cover, weapon ready, and gazes steely as he faces the terrorists, while Chad stays behind the wall, staring down at his tightly clenched hand.

"Roy... we're coming back for you."