Attacca ─ Five Hargreeves

17. Two Storms

When Genevieve was still a little kid, there were a plethora of scenarios going through her head about the future. Would it be beautiful? What would she become? Would she be able to stand by her mother's side while discovering new inventions? Would she and Nikolai create something amazing together? The two of them had planned to open a rice cake shop, they were so obsessed that they wished to have their own emporium. To think about it again, it was all a terrific dream. Without knowing the dark side of the world they lived in, one that her mother had always kept hidden from them, she was happy, she was safe, that was a reality that could never be superseded.

Would it be the same when they returned? Because for her, all of that was simply unlikely to happen twice. This life wasn't a console game that had a replay button, it would definitely unveil stark differences. Would it be okay if they interjected themselves into a time that was no longer theirs? Deep down, she had indeed wanted a way out, and the Commission had given it to her, here was her second chance. So, what would the next escape plan make of her? She wasn't like Five, she had never disappeared, she was exactly where she was supposed to be. There was a lot that could go wrong, but she knew she couldn't stay here without him either.

Just as Genevieve entered the unit, she noticed Five was sitting in the dining room while staring impassively at a cup of coffee in front of him. It had been a while, and honestly, she had lost the ability to act like everything was okay. Their situation was never a piece of old tackle, one second she was almost losing him, and the next second he was here without a heads-up. And as if being slammed by a realisation, suddenly her entire being was filled with exhaustion and deep sadness. Her steps never faltered towards him, she just leaned against the wall near the exit, slowly slouching to the floor while covering her face with her hands, attempting to bury the impulse to pour out all her feelings.

And literally confirming what Micaiah said about the necklace, she could immediately hear hurried footsteps, a little loud to indicate that he was about to approach, it had become one of their simple habits to indirectly herald each other's presence. And once she felt him near, emulating her position, she fluttered her eyes open, staring straight at the pale-coloured walls. Silence strangled all the words, but it didn't matter, they could still understand each other despite not saying a word. Not long after, Five handed her a piece of paper, and she noticed it was the note that she had written a week ago. The string of numbers was still there, but now something had been written down underneath it.

A response from him.

0190.
(I'm sorry, I hurt you.)

That was the last straw before the tears could no longer be held, Genevieve brought her hands to her face, covering it as sobs began to escape her trembling lips. Five did not hurt her, but it seemed like he did. They were finally under the same roof but she still longed for him, he was here yet felt far away. It was like he didn't belong to her anymore, he had a completely diverse catalyst than her, and she had a hard time keeping up with him. And the fact that their communication was going badly hurt her a lot, even the codes they made no longer felt eloquent. Somehow, everything was much harder than when they were in the apocalypse. It was just the two of them against the odds there, but the scales were still balanced. Now, here, one day he might not come back and she wouldn't know why, and they would just force her to keep going.

Five had to squint a few times to keep the emotions away, his arms draping loosely over her, wishing desperately that he could take all her anguish away. There was always a piece missing from him knowing that she was here, traversing this foreign place alone while he could wander out on missions. Five was aware how the Commission wanted Genevieve to stay in the building, he had tried to oppose it, it was always better to do things together. They were a team, after all. Forty-five years was no short amount of time, everything they did was done together, but all of a sudden, every single thing changed and they were not prepared for it.