Transform Me (A "Shatter Me" Trilogy Fanfiction)

THIRTY-FIVE: FINAL FAREWELL

35: Final Farewell

This is it.

Today's the day we finally make a move against The Reestablishment.

And there's no turning back now.

During yesterday's meeting, there had been several revisions to the plan. Now, instead of two teams, there'll be three. Team A will be headed by Kenji, along with Jun and fifty others. They will be in charge of liberating the convicts. On the other hand, it was decided that Juliette supervise Team B, together with Devin, Kim, and sixty-two other volunteers—both with abilities and without. Their task would be to round up all civilians they can find and convince them to stand alongside us.

Finally, Team C would mainly consist of me and Warner, where we'll be assigned to infiltrate Sector 21's military base. The rest of the people who have opted out of the mission will remain at Souseiki Dousa. All in all, a little over a hundred people have offered to take part in the mission, and this in itself is already a gargantuan advantage.

For Phase 1, Team B will be deployed first in Sector 21's residential compound since it's the nearest location from the headquarters. Next, for Phase 2, Team A will be dropped off at the prison house. After that, the aircrafts land at the abandoned warehouse. This is where Warner and I get off. From there, we make our way towards the military base. This will be Phase 3. For the 4th phase, after Teams A and B are finished with their assigned tasks, they are to reconvene at the appointed meeting place. From there, they are to make their way to the base for phase 5 where The Reestablishment's leaders in Sector 21 will be forced to surrender.

It all sounds so easy. But there's this foreboding feeling I have that something is going to go horribly wrong.

We're all in the mess hall right now having breakfast, even though it's still three in the morning. I feel numb and cold all over, although it has more to do with the thick coil of anxiety wound around my chest rather than the frigidness of the dawn. Wrapping my arms tighter around me, I stare blankly at the bowl of oatmeal and berries before me, which looks just about as appetizing as a shoe.

Even if I had a stack of taiyaki on the table in front of me, I still wouldn't be able to eat a single bite. I'm sure a lot of the people in the room share my sentiments, and they're just forcing down the sludge of oats since it's far better and more productive than just sitting in a daze, which is exactly what I'm doing now. I don't know how long I sit there, gazing unseeingly at my food, when I feel a nudge at my shoulder. I turn my head to see Jun tilting his head inquisitively in my direction.

He cocks a pierced eyebrow as he takes a sip of his coffee. "You okay, Hiro?"

"I'm not sure how to answer that, to be honest." With a slight shake of my head, I let out a weary sigh.

"You look like you didn't sleep a wink last night." Caitlan adds worriedly.

"It was probably the shallowest sleep I have ever had. I think I even had a nightmare. I dreamt I was standing face to face with the Supreme Commander, but his face was just blank. And the longer I tried to distinguish his features, the faster he started to fade away."

"I know you're worried, but everything's gonna be alright." Jun assures me as he slides his half-empty mug towards me. "Now drink up. We can't afford to let you go all Zombie Mode today."

Staring down at the black drink, I wrinkle my nose in distaste. "You know I don't like coffee."

But then, all at once, I remember the one time I did thoroughly enjoy coffee. Then my thoughts inevitably lead to Kenji as memories of our last night at the military base come flooding through my mind. I feel my cheeks grow warm and I quickly duck my head in embarrassment. Thankfully, neither Jun nor Caitlan notice me.