Attacca ─ Five Hargreeves

18. When the Rebels Go Marching In

The next day the pair did their usual activities, and since Five was only waiting for the next task which was planned to be the last, he was just doing trivial errands and didn't go anywhere else afterward. He went straight back to their unit after a brief conclave with the Handler, spending every second with her, catching up on everything that happened to them. The rift between them might not be completely fixed, but they would try to make it work, that was what they always do in the end. And as Micaiah said to wait for two days, Genevieve continued to do her job as normally as possible so that no suspicion would be elevated. She was both excited and scared, wondering what would happen after they left, of course, it would put their heads on the hunt, but she would rather get out of this construction than stay any longer.

The last day after the last patient, Genevieve took the time to strike up a mild conversation with another employee who had never spoken to her before out of hesitance. She wanted to leave this place with at least one good impression, but her mind was still distraught. The one person she had hoped to see today had not shown up, she just couldn't leave without saying goodbye. Just as she was about to return to the apartment in hopes of meeting her little girl before she left, Lila appeared before her with a chipper expression.

Genevieve gaped for a moment and slightly crouched down. "Where have you been?"

"Mum trained me," said Lila. "It was so cool, I dodged all the bullets!"

It was frankly alarming to hear that such a young kid had to link with something so dangerous, something she wouldn't have had to deal with if she had grown up in a different setting, or with a different parent. Genevieve might not have had any experience with a kid, after all, she and Five never thought that far ahead, but she was raised by a very loving mother who would literally burn the world down for herself and her brother. There probably wasn't much she could do, she alone grew up in the apocalypse, however, considering she was leaving soon, it would be nice if she could take Lila somewhere. That was why she ended up asking Micaiah and Herb for help so they could go to Coney Island.

A day off without having to think about training or a demanding mother, far away from the place that was almost eroding their sanity to the core, Genevieve supposed that was what Lila deserved to get. Ever since the little girl arrived at the Commission, she had never been treated like a literal child, it was constantly about Handler wanting to make the girl stronger, and all sorts of excuses were used to shape her into the person that woman wanted her to be. Genevieve knew everything now, about why the Handler had adopted Lila. The girl was one of the forty-three kids, she had some kind of abilities similar to what Five and his siblings had, which Genevieve suspected was incredibly unique to the point the Handler needed the girl by her side.

But this evening, Genevieve wanted Lila to neglect all that, and just remember that she was still a kid, not a soldier. And it was a decision she would never forget, watching the pure joy in the little girl's eyes, how she had pulled her into trying out various attractions. The laughter echoed from her lips as she failed to get the reindeer doll because her aim at the bottle was off target and the funny expressions they made at the photo booth. It was immensely fun they almost lost track of time if Genevieve didn't see Micaiah from afar to remind her to come back, it was also a good thing because the Handler was currently not in the building so they didn't have to rush.

"How do you know if you love someone?" Lila suddenly questioned.

The last thing they did was recharge their energy with food as the fireworks began to light up the sky, and Lila's abrupt inquiry caught her off guard. Perhaps every single individual who saw her with Five would immediately allege that they were in love with each other, but it wasn't like that. Or more like they never really talked about it.