9:56 PM.

Three hours into Code Black.

The council tower no longer looked like the seat of government.

It looked like the last place people still believed had answers.

Floodlights flooded the surrounding streets in harsh white light that turned every face pale and every shadow sharp. Barricades had been thrown up around the base of the structure, but they were doing less and less to keep people back. Civilians crowded against them in dense clusters, demanding information, demanding entry, demanding anything that sounded better than silence.

Soldiers moved constantly.

Not because they were in control.

Because they were trying to look like they were.

Aubrey watched everything from the roof of a neighboring building.

Her eyes tracked patterns.

Who was paying attention.

Who wasn’t.

Where people kept looking.

Where they didn’t.

Terri stood beside her, staring down at the chaos below.

"That’s a lot of people."

"That’s what happens when everyone gets told to stay calm."

Terri huffed out a laugh.

"Fair."

Below them, a shouting match erupted near one of the barricades.

A civilian shoved a soldier.

Another civilian got involved.

Then three more.

Within seconds rifles were visible.

The crowd immediately backed up.

Not because anyone trusted the soldiers.

Because everyone knew where escalation led.

Aubrey shook her head.

"Idiots."

Terri glanced sideways.

"The civilians?"

"I mean everybody."

That earned another reluctant smile.

Aubrey caught it.

The nervousness underneath it was obvious.

Terri was still scared.

Still new enough that every gunfight mattered.

Every body mattered.

Every bad decision still followed her afterward.

Aubrey remembered being like that.

Years ago.

Before enough terrible things happened that survival started feeling routine.

She pointed toward a narrow maintenance bridge connecting the rooftops.

"Come on."

The crossing wasn’t particularly difficult.

It just felt difficult when you looked down.

Halfway across, a gunshot echoed somewhere in the distance.

Terri flinched.

Another followed.

Then another.

The sound bounced through the borough.

Terri swallowed.

"You think that’s infected?"

Aubrey stepped onto the next rooftop.

"If it is, somebody’s dying."

Terri frowned.

"And if it’s not?"

Aubrey started walking.

"Then somebody’s still dying."

"You’re terrible at comfort."

"I know."

The answer came so quickly Terri laughed despite herself.

For a moment, things almost felt normal.

Then they saw the tower again.

And remembered why they were here.

Getting inside turned out to be far easier than either of them expected.

That worried Aubrey more than if it had been difficult.

People always imagined secure places were protected by impossible defenses.

Most of the time they weren’t.

Most security failures happened because everybody focused on the obvious entrances.

The loading dock behind the tower had one guard.

One.

And he was smoking.

Terri looked at Aubrey.

Aubrey looked at the guard.

The guard looked absolutely nowhere useful.

Aubrey moved.

The man never saw her coming.

One second he was standing there enjoying his cigarette.

The next, his head bounced off the side of a delivery truck.

Aubrey caught him before he hit the ground.

Terri blinked.

"...Jesus."

"Help me."

Together they dragged him behind the vehicle.

The entire thing took less than twenty seconds.

Terri stared down at the unconscious man.

"Is he dead?"

"No."

"You sure?"

Aubrey considered it.

"Pretty sure."

Terri stared.

Aubrey kept walking.

The inside of the tower felt strangely disconnected from the panic outside.

People still rushed through hallways carrying clipboards and tablets.

Scientists argued over data.

Technicians pushed carts.

Security personnel moved from floor to floor.

The difference was in their faces.

Nobody looked calm.

Nobody looked confident.

Everyone looked like they were waiting for something worse.

Aubrey and Terri slipped into the flow of traffic and kept moving.

At one point they accidentally followed a group of maintenance workers into a service corridor.

They spent nearly five minutes walking before Terri finally looked at a sign.

Then at Aubrey.

Then back at the sign.

"I don’t think Adrian’s in the water filtration system."

Aubrey stopped.

Read the sign.

Stared at it.

Then at Terri.

Terri immediately looked away.

"Sorry."

Aubrey tried to stay annoyed.

Failed.

"...Okay, that one’s on me."

Terri grinned.

The tension broke for exactly three seconds.

Then alarms sounded somewhere deeper in the building.

And everyone immediately remembered where they were.

The first real problem came near an elevator bank.

A security officer noticed them.

Not because of Aubrey.

Because Terri accidentally made eye contact.

The moment their eyes met, the man’s expression changed.

Terri froze.

Aubrey saw it happen.

"Damn it."

"What?"

"Run."

The officer reached for his radio.

Aubrey reached him first.

The collision sounded painful.

The man slammed into the wall hard enough to lose his breath.

His radio hit the floor.

Terri grabbed it instinctively.

The officer tried to recover.

Aubrey punched him once.

Then again.

The fight ended.

Just like that.

The officer collapsed.

Terri stared.

Her stomach twisted.

Not because of the violence itself.

Because of how quickly it happened.

Because there hadn’t been a struggle.

Just a decision.

Aubrey noticed her expression.

"You alright?"

Terri opened her mouth.

Closed it.

Then nodded.

Then immediately shook her head.

Then nodded again.

"I’m trying."

Aubrey looked at her for a moment.

Long enough to be sincere.

"You’re holding up pretty good."

Terri smiled.

A small smile.

But a real one.

"Thanks."

And together they kept moving.

Jennifer stared at her hands.

They would not stop shaking.

The sight felt absurd.

Wrong.

Her entire life had been built on precision.

On control.

On certainty.

She had performed procedures that required absolute steadiness.

Yet now her fingers trembled so badly she had to clasp her hands together.

The operating room remained silent around her.

Machines hummed softly.

Monitors blinked.

Metal instruments rested exactly where they had been placed.

Everything was prepared.

Everything was ready.

Everything except her.

Her eyes drifted back toward Adrian.

Still unconscious.

Still breathing.

Still completely unaware of the war raging inside her head.

The memory surfaced again.

"You’re gonna fix this."

The man’s voice.

The expectation.

The pressure.

"I don’t care if it kills him."

Jennifer covered her mouth.

Then quickly wiped at one eye.

"Oh dear..."

The whisper escaped before she could stop it.

Several scientists exchanged confused looks.

Nobody knew what to do.

Nobody had ever seen her like this.

Jennifer hated that they were seeing it now.

The vulnerability.

The weakness.

The truth.

She stepped toward Adrian.

Her hand found his cheek.

Warm.

Alive.

Human.

Not a solution.

Not a cure.

Not a project.

Just him.

"Ma’am..."

One of the scientists spoke carefully.

"The procedure has to begin soon if we’re going to save the—"

"Quiet."

The room froze.

The scientist frowned.

"Jennifer, I’m sorry, but I have to insist. These people are counting on us to—"

"GET OUT!"

The scream shocked even her.

Silence followed.

Nobody moved.

Nobody breathed.

The scientist stared at her.

At the tears gathering in her eyes.

At the way her hand refused to leave Adrian’s face.

Understanding slowly appeared on his expression.

Not agreement.

Understanding.

A moment later he nodded.

Then turned around.

The others followed.

One by one.

Until only Jennifer remained.

The door clicked shut.

And suddenly the room felt enormous.

Jennifer looked down at Adrian.

Her breath trembled.

"God..."

She brushed a strand of hair from his forehead.

"This is killing me."

The words came out quietly.

Almost conversational.

Like she was finally admitting something she’d spent years avoiding.

She lowered herself into a chair beside him.

Then leaned closer.

"You know..."

Her voice cracked.

A weak laugh escaped her.

"I spent so many years convincing myself you mattered because you were important."

Her thumb brushed across his cheek.

"Then somewhere along the way..."

She swallowed.

"You just became important."

Tears slipped free.

Slow.

Uncontrolled.

"I know you hated me."

A shaky smile appeared.

"You weren’t exactly subtle about it."

Another tear followed.

"I just wish you’d understood."

Her voice weakened.

"I never wanted to hurt you."

She rested her forehead against his shoulder.

"I wanted the best for you."

The confession sounded pathetic.

Childish.

Honest.

And that made it hurt.

"You gave me direction."

Her eyes closed.

"When everything else became routine... you didn’t."

The room remained silent.

Only the steady rhythm of his heartbeat filled the space.

Jennifer lowered her head onto his chest.

Listening.

Memorizing.

Because some part of her already knew she was about to lose him.

"You were my world, Adrian."

The words barely escaped her lips.

"And without you..."

She laughed weakly.

"...I honestly don’t know who I’m supposed to be."

Her fingers tightened against his shirt.

"I just wish you could’ve seen that instead of viewing me as someone to hate."

Silence answered.

Jennifer smiled sadly.

"I really did love you, you know." 𝘧𝑟𝑒𝑒𝘸𝘦𝘣𝑛𝑜𝘷𝑒𝓁.𝘤𝘰𝓂

The guard never saw Aubrey coming.

One moment he stood watch at the secured hallway.

The next, something slammed into his face hard enough to send him crashing to the floor.

His rifle flew from his hands.

Before he could recover, a pistol was pressed against his forehead.

"Where are they keeping him?"

The soldier blinked blood from one eye.

"Keeping who?"

Aubrey pressed harder.

The man’s breathing became ragged.

Terri watched nervously.

No threats were necessary.

The fear did all the work.

"H-he’s in the white room."

"Where?"

"Down the hall."

His voice cracked.

"Left side."

Aubrey stared at him for another second.

Then lowered the weapon.

Turned around.

The soldier exhaled.

Relief washed across his face.

Then Aubrey spun back around and kicked him directly in the jaw.

The lights went out instantly.

Terri stared.

Aubrey kept walking.

"He would’ve hit an alarm."

"Maybe."

"He would’ve."

Terri looked at the unconscious guard.

Then crouched.

Aubrey stopped.

Turned.

"What are you doing?"

Terri pulled a keycard from the man’s belt.

Held it up.

"Looks useful."

Aubrey frowned.

Then shrugged.

"Fair enough."

"I hope you can forgive me for this, my love."

Jennifer’s voice barely rose above a whisper.

"You had so much potential."

The keycard reader chimed.

Jennifer frowned.

"Just give me a few more—"

The door opened.

She turned.

And froze.

The scientists outside were on the floor.

Terrified.

Two unfamiliar women stood in the doorway with guns drawn.

Jennifer immediately pulled her pistol.

Aubrey and Terri raised theirs.

Three guns.

Three strangers.

One unconscious man between them.

Aubrey’s eyes flicked toward Adrian.

The bruises.

The machines.

The instruments.

The sight hit her harder than she wanted to admit.

She buried it instantly.

"Who the hell are you people?" Jennifer snapped.

"Give us the guy on the table."

Jennifer stared at the barrels aimed at her.

Then at Adrian.

Then back at them.

"...I can’t."

Something dark flashed across Aubrey’s face.

"Look, crazy lady. I won’t ask again."

"Aubrey."

Terri’s voice cut through the tension.

Aubrey shot her an irritated look.

Terri ignored it.

She looked directly at Jennifer.

"He’s our friend."

Jennifer blinked.

Terri continued.

"The borough outside is falling apart."

Silence.

"You don’t even look like you want to do this."

That landed.

Jennifer looked away.

Toward Adrian.

Toward the impossible choice she’d been fighting for hours.

"If we leave him here," Terri said softly, "he dies."

Jennifer closed her eyes.

Because she knew.

She had always known.

A long moment passed.

Then she exhaled.

Slowly.

Defeated.

Her hand found Adrian’s face one last time.

"Friends, you say?"

Terri nodded.

Jennifer smiled.

Small.

Sad.

Beautifully broken.

"I know we’ll meet again one day, sweetie."

Then she leaned down.

And kissed him.

Aubrey’s eyes widened.

"What the hell—"

Terri grabbed her arm.

Aubrey pointed furiously.

Terri just shrugged.

Jennifer eventually pulled away.

Her hand lingered against his cheek.

Then she stepped aside.

The choice had finally been made.

Not for the borough.

Not for the cure.

Not for duty.

For him.

Jennifer looked at the two women.

Then at Adrian.

And quietly gestured toward the table.

"Take him."

Aubrey and Terri exchanged a glance.

Then moved.

And Jennifer watched the only person she had ever truly loved slip beyond her reach.