We entered the base, its interior constructed from cold metal and reinforced concrete. Glass walls lined the hallway, revealing a massive red rocket towering outside. All of us stood in awe.
I pulled out my camera and snapped a photo of the breathtaking sight. Trosterin approached with a gentle smile, holding a plate stacked with pancakes. She placed them on a table nearby.
"Here," she said warmly. "I made some pancakes."
Adam stared at them, his expression softening. It had been ages since he had seen anything resembling baked dough. Only twice in this broken world had he encountered something so simple and comforting. He sighed.
Kineki and Mino each took a pancake and brought one over to me, smiling quietly to themselves.
Adam looked at Rakete, curious. "Why would you build a rocket ship? Wouldn't it make more sense to just fix this city or something?"
Rakete paused, thinking deeply. "That's a good point. At first, we thought repairing this city was pointless…"
Trosterin sat beside him, her eyes tired but bright. "We've come this far—over two decades, actually." She let out a small laugh. "If we give up now… No. We've already committed. There's no point in going back."
Adam looked down. Decades. They had spent decades on this dream. There was no way they were going to throw it all away now.
How long had it been since he began his own journey? One month? Two? Three, four, five? He couldn't even remember anymore. Time blurred.
Suddenly, Mino coughed and wheeze. Yuri immediately rushed to her suitcase.
"Wait! I think I brought some pills."
Yoku turned away, sighing. "I… stole that from Rixton headquarters. I have no idea how to treat sickness."
Yuri rummaged through the case, holding up some pills. "I don't know if this is bacterial or viral…"
"I'm fine," Mino muttered between coughs.
"Not with you coughing all the time," Yuri replied, handing her an amoxicillin tablet. "I hope this works. It's been days…" She touched Mino's forehead. It was hot. A fever.
If only this world still had real medical technology—we would already know what Mino had.
Yoku sat nearby, deep in thought, his gaze lost in silence.
A few hours later, we moved to a sauna area within the base. Rakete had apparently harnessed some of the stratum's energy to build a control center for the rocket—and some luxuries for themselves.
Yoku, now in shorts, jumped into the sauna pool and leaned back. "Ahhh, this is great… Not too deep, not too shallow."
Yuri tended to Mino nearby, sitting in a plastic chair and waving while her nose dripped slightly.
Kineki stepped into the water. Adam stood still, watching.
She's going to be fine… right? he thought. Why am I trying to be hopeful when I don't even know what's going to happen?
Kineki and Yoku floated side by side. "Cold water is the best," Kineki said calmly.
Yoku splashed a little, scoffing. "I think not. Warm water makes your head fuzzy and happy."
"I don't feel that," Kineki replied, glancing toward Mino. "Adam… is it okay that we're having fun while our friends are suffering? Shouldn't I be helping her?"
Adam looked at her seriously. "Is it okay? Can you do something?"
She stared into the water. The reflections shimmered as the soft lighting flickered above them.
"No."
"Then… do you suffer for not helping her?"
Adam sighed. He was feeling the same way. Yuri had insisted on helping Mino, but he didn't know what to do. Rest? She was already resting. What else could be done?
Yoku stirred the water with his hand, breaking the silence.
"It doesn't feel right having fun while someone's suffering," he murmured. "Adam… just let Yuri take care of her. I don't know… Do you remember what I said? How my friends died one by one after touching a sick person?"
Silence, the lighting flickers a bit
"Maybe I was wrong. But… that's how it always started. The person closest to the sick one always got sick next. Then they died. So, we let Yuri handle it."
Adam felt torn—conflicted between what was right and what was wise. He sighed, frustrated at how helpless he felt.
[I think Yoku is right with this one, Rehan. Don't get too close. Let the robot do it.]
With a growing headache, Adam rose. "Sorry… I don't feel like swimming."
It just didn't feel right.
After changing back into his clothes, he wandered the base, letting his thoughts drift. He entered another room—cluttered with blueprints, scattered sticky notes, and trash. Dusty books and tattered documents lay all over, many clearly past their time.
A voice startled him. "Oh… haha, I didn't realize someone would come in here so soon. I didn't clean, well i just didnt want to…"
It was Rakete, seated in a chair, carefully tracing blueprints.
"I was a scientist," he said. "Part of Engalf Aerospace Headquarters X. You've heard of that, right?"
Adam blinked. "Huh?"
They both stood in momentary confusion. Rakete had assumed the name was widely known.
"It's been so long," Rakete murmured, sipping some tea. "I've thought about giving up so many times… but there's always this urge to keep going." He raised a trembling hand.
"And maybe I'll die before I finish this. But if a human can do it, then so can I—no matter how many times I fail." He hunched over the table, posture poor, but determined. The brown-orange lighting illuminated the worn lines of his face and the blueprints before him.
Adam stepped back, feeling awkward, and quietly exited the room.
Outside, he stood under the night sky, raising his hand toward the heavens—as if he could touch the stars.
WAIT... damn it.Why did we enter this base again?What was the reason?
I stare at the metal walls, the concrete halls, the dim lights flickering overhead.
Nothing answers.
I guess... we'll just have to wait here.Rest.I sat down on the ground.
The others were somewhere — laughing, resting, coughing, talking.But all I could hear was that voice in my head.
I can't afford to fail.No.We can't afford to fail.Not after everything.Not after this long....
My hands pressing against the moss and the ground of dirty
I guess ill just have to continue going onward