The inside of the aircraft was warm.
Too warm.
After freezing wind and snow, the sudden heat made Bianca feel dizzy almost immediately.
The doors sealed shut behind them with a heavy metallic sound that made half the children flinch.
Bianca included.
Old instincts already sinking claws in.
The cabin lights were dim, soft yellow instead of harsh white.
Rows of fold-down seats lined the walls while medics moved carefully through the crowded space checking injuries.
No shouting.
No threats.
No chains whatsoever.
And somehow that almost felt harder to process.
Bianca sat near the back of the aircraft with Maya and three younger kids wrapped in thermal blankets beside her.
One little boy had fallen asleep against her shoulder sometime during takeoff.
She still had no idea how that happened.
Or why children kept deciding she looked trustworthy.
Clearly their survival instincts needed work.
The aircraft vibrated softly beneath them as it climbed higher into the storm.
Outside the small side window— the mountain disappeared into snow and smoke.
And somewhere beneath all that rubble, the Red Room was finally dying.
Bianca stared at the clouds silently.
Good.
Burn.
A medic approached carefully holding a first aid kit.
“You mind if I check your shoulder?”
Bianca instinctively pulled back before she could stop herself.
The medic froze immediately.
Not offended.
Just careful now.
“Sorry,” he said quietly.
“Didn’t mean to crowd you.”
That caught Bianca off guard more than anything else tonight.
People here apologized.
Weird.
“…fine,” she muttered eventually.
The medic crouched beside her slowly like he was approaching a wounded animal.
Honestly?
Fair enough.
He peeled back part of her torn sleeve carefully.
The second he saw the bruising across her shoulder, he winced.
“Jesus.”
“Yeah, that’s been the general reaction today.”
The medic actually laughed softly at that.
Small.
Tired.
Human.
Not fake.
Bianca hated that she noticed the difference immediately.
“You’re lucky nothing broke,” he said while cleaning the cuts along her arm.
“Pretty sure my luck died when I hit the ground.”
The words slipped out before she could stop them.
The medic paused slightly.
“…hit the ground?”
Oops.
Bianca immediately looked away.
“Metaphor.”
Smooth.
Very smooth.
The medic clearly didn’t buy it, but thankfully he let it go.
Across the cabin, Ward stood near the cockpit speaking quietly with another agent.
Even from here Bianca could tell they were talking about her.
Not subtle.
Ward glanced back toward her briefly.
Bianca immediately flipped him off.
The younger agent beside him choked trying not to laugh.
Ward looked profoundly tired.
Good.
A few seats away, Maya sat stiffly while another medic checked the burns on her hands from the wiring panel earlier.
Every time someone spoke gently to her, she looked confused.
Like her brain didn’t know what to do with it.
That hurt to watch.
One of the younger children suddenly tugged on Bianca’s sleeve.
The little girl from before.
Big eyes.
Tiny hands.
Still shaking slightly.
“…what happens now?”
Bianca opened her mouth.
Then closed it again.
Because honestly?
She had no clue.
That realization hit harder now that things had finally gone quiet.
Back underground, survival had been simple: run fight escape
Now?
Now there were questions.
Too many questions.
Who were these people?
What was the Void?
What exactly had happened to her?
And why did those cracks keep reacting to her?
The system flickered softly across her vision.
[ Emotional Instability Rising ]
“Oh shut up,” Bianca muttered.
The little girl blinked up at her.
“…what?”
“Not you.”
“Who then?”
Bianca rubbed a hand over her face tiredly.
“Long story.”
The child accepted that answer way too easily.
Kids adapted frighteningly fast.
The aircraft suddenly shifted direction slightly.
A voice echoed from the front cabin.
“Ten minutes out.”
Ward finally moved away from the cockpit afterward and walked toward the back of the aircraft.
Bianca noticed Maya tense instantly beside her.
Yeah.
Same.
Ward stopped a few feet away from them.
Close enough to talk.
Far enough not to seem threatening.
Calculated.
Everything about this guy felt calculated.
“How’s the shoulder?”
Bianca narrowed her eyes immediately.
“Are you trying to bond with me?”
“…I was asking a question.”
“That sounds suspiciously close.”
For half a second, Ward almost smiled.
Almost.
Then it disappeared again.
“There’ll be doctors waiting when we land.”
Bianca snorted softly.
“See, normal people hear that and feel comforted. I hear that and think experimentation.”
Ward actually sighed this time.
“You really don’t trust anybody.”
Bianca stared at him for a few quiet seconds.
Then finally answered honestly.
“Would you?”
That shut him up.
Good.
The engines hummed softly around them.
Snow tapped lightly against the aircraft walls.
Ward looked toward the sleeping children nearby before speaking again. Enjoying the story? Read on at g.com.
“The place we’re taking you isn’t permanent.”
“Temporary prison. Got it.”
“It’s not a prison.”
“Do people leave whenever they want?”
Ward hesitated.
Tiny pause.
That was enough.
Bianca laughed quietly.
“Yeah, there it is.”
The younger agent from earlier walked past carrying supplies before muttering under his breath:
“She’s kinda scary.”
Bianca pointed at him immediately.
“See? Finally someone gets it.”
The agent looked horrified he’d spoken out loud.
Maya actually smiled a little for the first time all night.
Small victory.
Ward rubbed tiredly at his forehead.
“You were exposed to something dangerous underground.”
“So was literally everyone else.”
“Not like you were.”
That made Bianca go still.
Ward noticed immediately.
The man missed absolutely nothing.
“What exactly did you see down there?” he asked quietly.
Bianca looked out the small window again.
Snowstorms.
Dark clouds.
Night stretching endlessly below.
Then she remembered: blue cracks spreading through the air something massive staring back that horrible feeling of being noticed
Her stomach twisted hard.
“…I don’t know.”
For once, no sarcasm.
Just honesty.
Ward studied her carefully.
And somehow that felt worse.
The system suddenly flickered again.
[ Warning ]
[ External Interest Increasing ]
Bianca’s headache returned instantly.
Sharp pressure behind her eyes.
She sucked in a quiet breath.
Ward noticed that too.
Of course he did.
“You okay?”
“Define okay.”
The lights inside the aircraft flickered suddenly.
Once.
Twice.
Then steadied again.
Several agents looked up immediately.
The pilots exchanged tense voices near the cockpit.
Bianca felt cold crawl slowly down her spine.
Because for one split second— she could’ve sworn she saw faint blue fractures spreading across the window glass beside her.
Then they vanished.
Like they were never there.
The system glitched violently across her vision.
[ Connection Detected ]
[ Source Unknown ]
[ Do Not Respond ]
Bianca’s heartbeat slammed painfully against her ribs.
Ward noticed her expression instantly.
“What happened?”
Bianca stared at the dark window.
At her own pale reflection staring back.
Then quietly— very quietly— she whispered:
“I think something followed me out.”