The metal door of Varex's ruined lab slid open with a long, tired groan .... like even the building wanted them gone.
The group stepped out into the cold night air, half limping, half dragging their emotions behind them. The moon hovered above the shattered city like a streetlight with commitment issues.
Siria looked around. "Alright. We regroup at the safe zone."
Everyone nodded.
Except two.
Tim suddenly stopped walking.
Pluto stopped right behind him.
Tango turned. "Uh… why are you both frozen like corrupted NPCs?"
Tim inhaled sharply, then said in a completely-too-normal voice, "We're going back."
Emmanuel blinked. "Back where?"
Tim pointed at the darkness behind them.
At the broken bridge.
At the place none of them wanted to remember.
"To her," Tim said quietly.
Pluto flinched but nodded.
"She shouldn't be alone."
Tanya stepped forward. "Guys… it's dangerous. The zombies might regroup."
"We don't care," Pluto whispered.
Tim turned around, hoodie hood halfway up, trying so hard to hide the crack in his voice.
"She saved us. We left her behind. That's messed up."
Omega, newly human and confused with emotions he hadn't felt for some time, stared at them like he was witnessing grief for the first time ever.
"Luna…" he murmured,
Tim took a step back toward the old path.
Tango blocked him instantly.
"Tim. No."
Tim squinted. "Move before I convert you into a taco."
Tango sighed. "Bro, that threat doesn't even make sense....."
"I DON'T MAKE SENSE EITHER," Tim shouted, voice breaking halfway. "Luna made sense!"
Everyone went quiet.
Pluto's face crumpled, but he held himself together by some miracle.
"She… she'd want us to keep going," Tanya whispered.
"I don't care what she'd want," Tim snapped.
Then softer, "I just don't want to leave her behind!."
Pluto gently placed a hand on Tim's shoulder .... the first time Tim didn't shrug him off.
"Let's go," Pluto said. "Before I change my mind."
Omega took a step forward, surprising everyone.
"I'll go too," he offered. "It's the least I can do."
Tim narrowed his eyes at him. "Why?"
Omega stared at the ground. "Because she saved me. Without even knowing me. People like that… deserve to be remembered."
Tim inhaled sharply, and for a moment, his bravado cracked like thin ice.
The three... Tim, Pluto, Omega ; turned and began walking.
Siria groaned. "Emmanuel, stop them!"
Emmanuel didn't move.
"They're grieving. Let them."
Tanya whispered, "But what if they get hurt?"
Asuka answered quietly, watching Tim's shaking hands,
"They already are."
The group reluctantly followed at a distance , keeping watch, protecting them silently.
Tim walked fast, as if he slowed down, he'd fall apart.
Pluto walked more slowly, trying not to break.
Omega walked steadily, unsure but loyal.
The wind howled through the collapsed buildings.
Dust curled around their feet as they returned to the broken bridge .... the place where Luna fell.
Tim's breath hitched.
Pluto's knees buckled for a second.
Omega bowed his head in respect.
No words.
Just grief.
Raw.
Heavy.
Shared.
Tim dropped to the ground, fists clenched so tight his knuckles turned white.
"I'm not crying," he muttered aggressively.
He was definitely crying.
Pluto sat beside him quietly. "She saved us." he whispered for the hundredth time
Omega placed a hand on their shoulders .... gentle, hesitant.
"When someone lights up a world," he said slowly, "their absence creates a darkness that takes time to understand."
Tim's lip trembled. "Bro… stop being poetic… It's hurting me more."
Omega almost smiled. "Sorry."
The others watched from a distance , giving them space, letting them grieve.
No zombies.
No alarms.
Just the hollow echo of what the world lost.
After a long time, Tim stood up, wiping his face aggressively with his sleeve.
"Okay. Done. I'm fine. I'm built different."
He was absolutely not fine.
Pluto squeezed his arm gently. "We'll get through it."
Tim didn't answer, but he didn't pull away either.
Omega faced the group. "What now?"
Tim took a deep breath.
"We go finish Varex's mess," he said.
The others nodded.
Tango: "Let's end this."
Siria: "Together."
Emmanuel: "And alive."
Tim whispered, barely audible,
"For her vision…"
Then he turned back toward the shadows ahead ....
the next battle, the next horror, the next hope.
And the group followed.