Present and past

“Hey, Havoc, who’s the new guy?”

Clue pointed directly at SF, his brows furrowed in confusion. Clue had stepped away from Havoc’s side to get a closer look. None answered him as he approached SF.

“Seriously, Havoc? Pulse? Anyone willing to tell me?” Clue looked around at his Friends, only to find them stifling laughter.

Billy, grinning, finally joined Clue’s side and threw an arm around his shoulders.

“Hey now, we don’t use code names during our free time.”

Clue’s confusion only deepened. “Alright, then what do you go by?”

Billy’s grin widened. “I’m so glad you asked!”

With exaggerated enthusiasm, Billy spun Clue around and, in great detail, explained everyone’s real names. After at least a minutes of chatter, he finally got to SF.

“And finally, that’s SF.”

Billy cupped a hand around his mouth as if to whisper conspiratorially but made sure SF could still hear. “He never picked a real name, so he just stuck with his specimen ID. he is kinda lame sometimes.”

Clue blinked, still looking lost. “Okay… so who is he?”

SF sighed slightly before speaking up himself. “Maybe this will clear things up. I’m S2-SF… more commonly known as Sear on the battlefield.”

Clue’s eyes widened in disbelief to how different he looked now, his hair and eyes were different colors, and his scar was nowhere to be seen. Across the room, Sharpshot, who had been watching quietly, stiffened at the realization but quickly looked away as he remembered their last conversation.

“Wait, so you’re the Red-haired guy? The new Marshal?” Flame suddenly cut in, her tone filled with excitement. “That’s awesome!”

SF looked momentarily taken aback by Flame’s enthusiasm before regaining his composure. “Uh… thanks, I guess.”

A brief silence fell between them before SF’s gaze shifted to the far side of the room. Slick stood alone leaned against a wall, arms crossed, staring at the floor.

“Why is Slick over there by himself?” SF asked.

The moment he did, Fallow’s expression darkened, her gaze dropping.

Henry sighed deeply before answering. “Blip fell in battle.”

SF remained silent as Henry continued, his tone calm yet weighted. “Slick blames us—me and you—for not sending backup.”

SF glanced back at Slick, without a hint of change in his demeanor, before he could say anything, Henry spoke again. “I’ll handle it.”

With slow, deliberate steps, Henry walked toward Slick, his towering presence impossible to ignore. As he reached him, he keeled down, in front of Slick’s position.

“I am truly sorry for the loss of your brother.” His voice was steady, but there was genuine sorrow behind it even so Slick clenched his fist. “I didn’t hear the call for backup. I know that doesn’t change anything… no words I say can repay the sacrifice your family made that day.”

Henry paused, taking a deep breath before continuing.

“I don’t expect you to forgive me. But I need you to know—I will never forget what he did. Or what you lost.. what all of us lost, a true friend and companion. I only hope that one day, you might forgive me for my ignorance.”

For a moment, there was no response except Slicks eyes starting to water.

Then, without another word, Henry slowly stood up. He didn’t lift his head as he turned away, leaving Slick to process his words, the silence was broken by Slicks fist hitting the wall he was leaning against.

No one reacted. It was clear to everyone that leaving Slick alone was the best choice for now. Slowly, they all drifted back into conversation or casual relaxation.

SF remained where he was, leaning idly against the wall, away from the group. The others were clumped together on the bunk beds in the corner of the room, chatting and unwinding. Even Slick, after a few minutes, hesitantly joined them. He was still visibly down, but at least he no longer seemed to hold as much resentment.

SF watched them in silence. What are they doing, exactly? He wondered. Why can’t i understand whats going on? it seems to clear to everyone else.

His thoughts were abruptly interrupted.

“Hey, catch.”

A soda can flew toward him. Without hesitation, SF caught it effortlessly, his sharp reflexes kicking in. He examined the can before shifting his gaze toward Fallow, who now strolled over to him with a playful grin.

“Where did you get this?” SF asked.

Fallow plopped down beside where he was leaning, cracking open her own can. “Vending machine in the corridor,” she answered casually before taking a sip.

SF scoffed lightly. “Right, right. You’re a commander, after all. Must feel good being privileged.” He slid down the wall landing next to her on the floor.

Fallow shot him a smirk and turned her head towards him. “Look who’s talking, Mr. Marshal. You’re moving up—”

Before she could finish, SF held his can in front of her face popped the tab on his soda. The moment it opened, pressurized foam hissed out, spraying directly into Fallow’s face. She flinched, blinking as drops dripped from her cheeks.

SF took a slow sip of his drink, feigning innocence. “Hmm? You were saying?”

Fallow wiped her face with the sleeve of her uniform, shooting him a look of exaggerated disgust. “You foul creature.”

A smug smile played at her lips, and for once, there was a faint glimmer of amusement in SF’s eyes.

Across the room, Penny had been observing the exchange, her arms crossed as she lounged on one of the bunk beds.

“Hey, Henry. Have you noticed anything about SF these past few days?” she asked.

Henry, caught off guard, followed her gaze toward SF. The typically stoic soldier actually seemed… alive. Relaxed, even. A rare sight.

A small, knowing smile tugged at Henry’s lips. “Yeah. He seems happier again. Nothing to worry about, though—it usually happens when there aren’t any missions, and he has stopped taking so many doses outside of them recently.”

Penny tilted her head slightly. “Why do you think that is?”

Their conversation had caught the attention of the rest of the group, who now tuned in with mild curiosity.

Henry shrugged. “Honestly, I don’t know. Maybe it’s because there’s no stress, or maybe it’s because of the new recipe for the serum, but all i know for certain is that he feels better then he stops using the serum.”

Clue furrowed his brows. “But you’ve known him the longest! How do you not know?” As Havoc quietly thought Flame cut in with another question “I wonder have you ever seen him smile out of actual happiness, and not some twisted smile?”

A dramatic gasp escaped Billy as a new thought struck him. “Wait! What if he physically can’t smile? Like, what if his teeth fall out if he tries?”

Clue and Flame tried to hold their laughter at Billy’s absurd theory, but Henry remained thoughtful.

“Anyway,” Sharpshot spoke up, steering the conversation in another direction. “Does anyone know when those two got so close?”

Silence. No one had an answer. That is, until Slick finally spoke.

“During the week they were lost on the battlefield together.”

All eyes turned to him.

Henry narrowed his eyes slightly. “You mean when they got separated from the rest of us?”

Slick nodded. “Yeah. They had to survive together while being hunted by the UAF. On the fifth day, Fallow said SF actually became… bearable company.”

Henry frowned slightly, his mind working through the information.

“you mean the same mission we were on right Slick?”

“Yep, a true bloodbath”

He recalled that during that battle, SF had used the old recipe and way more doses then recently. It made sense that he must have used another one shortly after they got separated, because by the time he returned, he had none left.

That would mean the serum’s effects had completely worn off after four days.

So why has it taken eight days this time?

Was it because of the new formula?

Henry’s thoughts raced, but he had no time to dwell on them.

“What what mission?” Clue asked curiues about the past of his friends

Slick threw a look towards Henry who shrugged

“It was before your time—just over a month ago, I think.”. Slick began, then paused, glancing at Henry—the one who always remembered the finer details. Henry nodded and continued on.

“It was Fallo unit 51 aka Sunshine squad your unit, Fallo unit 125 or Lucky hour and then finally we were joined by Tempes the commander of Unit 3 and Fallo unit 68 aka Final hour”