Satellite

Chapter 35 - Depart

      The bunker. A place where (Y/N) and Kelly had spent a few summers with their grandfathers as kids.

      Other than the radio station, fishing, and whatever hobbies to old men could have, they also had a doomsday bunker. Which was more like a reinforced basement of a house they owned. But inside was a stock of food and hunting equipment they collected over the years.

      While Rockman did keep the existence of this bunker to himself and would've after the fiasco that was the attack, Rose was able to explain everything centering (Y/N) to him and their plans to get her to a Satellite facility to make a cure. It's why she was with them and not because they ran across her at the hospital. Gradually Rockman began to have hope that she was going to wake up but his skepticism was still there.

      The decision to reveal the bunker's location was all up to her. If she hadn't woken up, the Satellite team would be out the door.

"Why didn't you tell us, sweetie?" The old hippie asked, sitting with her in the radio room for a chance to talk.

      (Y/N) looked away, feeling like a child who just got caught. "I... didn't want you and Kelly to get involved. You haven't really seen what's out there."

"(Y/N), you can't go through this alone. You're a part of some huge government conspiracy now! And you know how I feel about governments." He exclaimed. She could see the look in his eyes when bringing up conspiracies.

"They're not to be trusted." She sighed.

"Exactly."

"But how could I tell you? 'I'm infected like the fiends and can't die?' It's not exactly something you tell your family..."

      And now Rockman and Kelly will be traveling with them and getting involved with the team. A part of her was happy to not leave them but a different part knew the dangers that could come. Whether it be Red Dogs, fiends, the government even...

"(Y/N), you scared us. I still feel as if I should be grieving you." Rockman's tone was a bit shaky. Seeing her like that, a lifeless corpse, it was something he never wanted to see again. "Getting told that you were still alive just felt like a slap in the face. You weren't breathing, you weren't warm, you-"

      The old man had to take a breath, feeling himself getting worked up. (Y/N) reached out to comfortingly rubbed his arm, feeling guilty for causing him such a scare.

"It was like..." He muttered, a saddened expression planting on his face. "It was like seeing Oscar in that hospital bed. And I couldn't do anything about it."

      It felt like a knife was struck into her heart. She tried not to imagine her grandfather in his final moment... when she wasn't there to say goodbye. Rockman was there when she wasn't. He experienced the loss of his lifelong best friend firsthand. And she made him experience losing her.

"I'm sorry." (Y/N) whimpered. Scaring him wasn't her intentions at all. She just wanted to keep the last bit of family she had safe.

       Rockman swallowed back the growing lump in his throat and pulled her into a tight hug. One that she accepted instantly.

       She was still here. Rockman didn't fail his best friend by losing her. That's all that matters now.

"You're alive. That's all I care about." He reassured her, rubbing circles into her back as she held back her tears.

      Kelly entered the room carrying his and his grandfather's bags on his back. The first sight he saw was the two holding each other.

      (Y/N) looked past Rockman to Kelly and the two shared eye contact. He did seem for her not telling them about her condition but it didn't match up to the excessive worry over her.