[MINI-ARC 2] A Period Of Calming During The Storm

They were sitting quietly in that large ship.

Everything felt strange to H.K., who regretted leaving Smith behind.

But what disturbed him even more was the fact that he had lied about Smith being dead, and they didn't even feel remorse or anything like that—or even bother to check if it was true. They simply forgot about him.

"Well, I must be a hypocrite, judging someone's morals while lying myself!"

H.K. started to wonder if he could truly trust the group. Even though he was the youngest among them, he was well-educated, and a thought began to creep into his mind:

"If I weren't a pilot, would they have left me behind since I'd be useless?"

He couldn't stop his mind from racing with different thoughts. With his shoulders hunched and his back leaning forward as he piloted the ship, he reflected that, despite its larger appearance, it was, at its core, almost identical to the old one.

"Must be a much newer model..."

The moment that thought crossed his mind, he forced himself to focus again; they were leaving the atmosphere.

— H.K.! Go as fast as you can... That old bastard on the radio underestimated us way too much! So... show that son of a bitch that we're not fucking around!

— Let me do my job. And by the way, your last sentence sounded either censored or like it came from a badly dubbed movie. [Giggle]

— Just focus on your damn job!

H.K. remained silent, knowing that Harvey was always looking for a reason to curse or shout. He just felt too tired to argue.

"Since when did I develop such a sharp tongue? I'm not even a jokester... This place... Ahh... All of this has messed with me and changed me. But then again, who am I to judge anything or anyone? After all, I'm a mercenary pilot. Whether for good reasons or bad, it's still wrong! Right? Me and my maddening internal moral debates..."

The whole group was exhausted, and even Harvey was struggling to restrain his usual habits.

They were finally approaching, but what shocked everyone was how fast they had gotten there. From the planet to the Interval, it had taken only five minutes, compared to the 15-20 minutes it had taken when they arrived.

But something else surprised them even more:

The Interval no longer had a force field. The two circular quantum gates were unprotected, and some noticed that no robots had contacted them over the radio. Was it a malfunction?

"But seriously... Constant rain, a prototype police android, a weird old man, and now this! This whole world is acting strange, changing in ways I don't like..."

H.K.'s face twisted into a mix of confusion and bizarre expressions. Luckily, no one was looking at him at that moment.

— Crew! We're entering through the same gate we came from. Once we're in, we'll set a proper route...

They nodded and whispered among themselves.

— Huh?! Crew? I think he hit his head when he jumped back there...

But he didn't even hear them.

"Crew? Why did I say that?!"

He was already too lost in his own thoughts...

They started their entry, and as always, the ship began to shake. Little by little, their view of the outside world blurred until everything faded completely to black—like the ending of a movie, dissolving into a black screen.

Now, everything would depend on the decisions they would make from here on out...

After all, who were they now?

Harvey, for instance, had already started thinking of them as just another mercenary group after so many losses had plagued their small team.

And H.K. found himself thinking about Smith once again...

"Will I ever see the old man again?"

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