Save Battery City

From The Inside

-Hayley's POV-

"Should we start looking for the Capacitor?" Chester asked.

"No, not yet," Billie answered. "I wanna wait for Tre, Frank, and Gerard."

"But we've been waiting for an hour. If they haven't found us by now..."

"What?" he snapped. "You think they're dead? No, they're probably taking a break."

Chester looked down at the ground, making Hayley feel bad for him.

"What's your problem?" she asked Billie.

"What do you mean, 'what's my problem?' The answer is obvious! He wants to leave them behind, but I actually want to wait and make sure they're okay!"

"I don't want to leave them!" Chester said. "I just want to get this job done before it's too late!"

"Guys-"

"Says the one who ditched their entire...everything just to get the chance to time travel."

"That's not-" Mike began but Billie cut him off.

"Yeah, sure it's not. You think I can't see why you actually left?"

"That was ten years ago," Hayley cut in. "Now stop fighting. It's their business why they left. That doesn't matter now."

They sighed after she stopped talking. Eventually, Chester spoke up.

"I'm going to find the Capacitor. You can come with me if you want."

"Chester, wait," Mike said, reaching after him. "Can you just stay with us for a little bit longer?"

He turned to look at them. "Look what time-travel does to us. Were any of you like this before you came on this mission?"

Billie looked at the ground, ashamed.

"Now, I'm leaving. Don't come with me."

"You just said-"

"I know what I said. I changed my mind. Maybe I'll see you later, maybe I won't." With that, Chester disappeared into the crowd.

Mike sat down on his knees. "He-he's never-I-"

"Hey," Hayley kneeled next to him and put her hand on his shoulder. "It's gonna be okay. He'll come back eventually. We'll find him. For now, we need to focus on finding the rest of us, okay?"

Mike wiped his eyes and stood up. He turned to Billie. "Was it worth it?"

"What?"

"Was it worth it? Was it worth it, getting what you wanted? Even though Chester just totally ditched, so this mission can be done? It's not even his mission. It's yours. So, was it worth it?"

Billie didn't say anything. He just looked at the ground again and walked into the crowd, too.

"Billie, no, come back!" Hayley called, but she wasn't fast enough. He was already gone. "What happened to this team?"

"I'm sorry, Hayley," Mike said from behind. "What do you want to do now?"

"Nothing. I just want to sit here...please don't leave me."

"What? Why would I do that?"

She put her head in between her knees as she sat against a wall with her knees up to her chest. "Because I can't find my best friend. I don't know where he is. And I've lost all my other ones."

Mike sat beside her.

"Let's go follow Chester," Hayley said after a while.

"What?"