Death Stranding: Higgs

Chapter Twenty-Six: Connecting Cities

-Higgs' POV- I slow down the bike once I am within sight of a city. "What did he mean?" I whisper. "About losing everything he loved except me...? What...Does he view me as a brother?" I groan, clutching my head. "I'm just so confused." I tilt the bike to its side, using my leg as a stopper and fully stopping the motorcycle. Blinking tears away, I replay the conversation in my head again and again. "Wait...." I murmur, connecting the dots and hints. "Sam doesn't view me as a brother, he has a crush on me." I suddenly feel dirty. I know that Sam never officially got divorced to his now dead wife....but I know I also have feelings for him back. I growl, feeling annoyed at my conflicting emotions.

Wrapping my arms around myself, I feel my heart race as I blush. "Oh, Sam..." "Are you deaf?! Just go!" Sam looked so hurt at screaming that at me. Why didn't I go back? Too late now. I focus back on my mission, starting the motorcycle again and driving towards the next major city. The motorcycle beeps as a warning to let me know that the battery is low. Gritting my teeth, I enter the city and park the bike near a large charging port. The lighting on the wheels glows green to signify that the battery is charging. I walk over to the Porter Storage Unit and enter it. The room looks similar to every other storage unit I've been to, a small room and a pedestal where the Q-Pid goes, or so Deadman had told me. I yank the Q-Pid from my neck and place it in the opening of the pedestal.

Small blue symbols float around me as Nava looks around. I float up slightly, hearing what sounds like garbled radio feedback in my ears. The flood of noise suddenly stops and I land on my feet. The blue map of the America pops up and displays two white dots on the East coast becoming connected by a white line. A hologram of Die-Hardman shows up in front of the map. "Good job, Troy." He says, almost sounding proud, but I can't tell due to the grey skull mask hiding his emotions. "You've successfully connected Central Knot City to Capital Knot City. Keep using the Q-Pid we gave you. The journey will only get harder from here." With that said, Die-Hardman backs away as the hologram dissolves.

I take the Q-Pid back and place it on my neck again. Once I am out of the storage unit, I sit near the entrance and take a moment to calm down. I curl my knees against my chest and rest my head on my knees. Nava taps on the glass of her pod, causing me to look down at her. She looks somewhat stressed, probably sensing it from me. Recalling what President Strand said about Autotoxemia, I get up and enter the larger storage unit where the private room is.

I drag my feet as I enter the private room, taking Nava off of my chest and placing her back on the pod holder. I smile as I see Nava becomes relaxed again. After showering, I lay down in bed and drift off.

****

I wake up on the beach again, but I am wearing the dark grey tank top and shorts. I get up, feeling wet sand cling to my bare feet. "Higgs..." I turn around and see Sam standing there. He is decked out in Homo Demen gear, mainly black, gold, and green colors. "Sam?" I murmur. "What are you doing here?"

Sam looks worried, twisting his hands as he digs his feet into the sand. Without saying anything, he walks over and cups my face with both of his hands. He smiles, leaning in and kissing me. I don't fight back, slowly kissing him as well. I feel his hands let go of my face and wrap around my waist.

I pant as the kiss is broken and rest my forehead on his chest. "S-Sam..." I gasp, looking up. But it isn't Sam who is standing there, it's one of those skeleton soldiers from the trenches. I gasp as its bone fingers dig into the skin of my back. It's hollow eyes are like staring into an abyss. It lets out a piercing scream.

****

I gasp, jolting awake abruptly. In fear, I look around the room. Nothing is out of place, Nava is still asleep on the opposite wall. I wrap the blanket Sam gave me around my body tighter, trying to slow my heartbeat. I touch my lips lightly, thinking of how Sam had kissed me in the dream-turned-nightmare.

I flick the Cuff Link open to check the time.
5:45 am. No chance of getting back to sleep now.
I get up and step into the shower, the warm water hitting my bare skin after I strip my clothing off.
I sit down on the wet floor and sob softly.

My head hurts at the sudden stress pinning me down. How come I'm the one that has to reconnect America? Why does it all fall on me?
Once I'm calm enough, I step out of the shower and dry myself off.

I dig into my backpack after I am dressed in search for food. I watch Nava sleep as I drink my protein shake that tastes like chocolate. It's a little chalky tasting, but I don't feel like eating real food at the moment. I'm too nervous to keep down solid food.

Right now, I just want my regular life back, back when it was just me and Nava. No trouble with the Homo Demens, no pressure to reconnect America, and not finding out my actual origin with my parents.

But Cliff's face is still burned into my memory. It probably always will be.
****
-Sam's POV- I wake up feeling worse than the previous night. My heart aches at yelling at Higgs. Why did I do that? Why did I drive him away? Because of shame? Or because I still have love for my dead wife and daughter?

Not that it matters anymore. Both of them are dead. But Higgs is still alive. Alive and scared. I could see it in his eyes, his posture. God, I just want to wrap my arms around his body and pull him into me, kissing him gently as all of our worries melt away.

Would he want that? Would he even care? Or would he reject me, casting me aside like a broken toy? I shove my questions away, getting out of bed and exiting the tent.
Two of my men in Homo Demen uniforms nod their heads as a greeting when they walk over to me.
"Anymore news on Amelie?" I ask.
"Nothing new," One of them responds. "She is still secure in Edge Know City, as promised."
"Good." I say, looking down.

"Is something wrong, Commander?" The other asks.
"That Porter came by again." I admit. "He stayed the night here."
"Did he hurt you? We could track him down and execute him for you."
"No!" I say a bit too sharply. "No. Don't kill him. I let him stay here. He was a bit hurt. I removed stitching on his leg and let him rest. We got into a bit of an argument and he left on his own accord."

"Would you like us to track him?"
"No. He is currently on a mission to reconnect America, similar to Amelie. Leave him be. I will meet him in Edge Knot City. We should get moving again. He is probably already on his way to the next major city."
"Yes, sir." They both nod and walk off, preparing to take down the tents and pack them into the trucks.

With a sigh, I enter the tent again, noticing a small figure in my bed. The white of the plastic contrasts sharply with my black covers. I walk over and pick it up. It appears to be a small astronaut figure. My mind flashes back to the same figure hanging on Nava's pod. Looks like it fell off when he was asleep.

I hold the small figure close, pressing it against my heart as my mind flashes back to Higgs. "Well, this gives me a valid excuse to see Higgs again. I need to give this back to him." I quickly kiss the small astronaut and tuck it into one of my pockets on my pants. "I'll see you again soon, Higgs. I just really hope you don't hate me once you've found out my feelings...."