First Step

“I had no choice!”

Olga cursed once more as Jeht hurried after Olga. He wanted to throw Jeht off the side of the bridge they were walking on, but he couldn't even do that because he knew that Jeht would most likely survive it unscathed and land perfectly on the second opposite bridge below. His nerves were more tense.

“How could you not have any other choice? Don't you realize what you've done yet?!”

Jeht could understand Olga's anger very well, so he was trying to calm her down a bit. At this rate, he wouldn't have had a chance to explain himself properly.

"Could you listen to me? I already know I shouldn't have sounded the alarm, but my purpose was completely different!”

"Like what?"

When Olga abruptly stopped and turned to him, Jeht couldn't help but bump into Olga's chest.

“What purpose did you have, exactly?”

"Well…"

Jeht muttered as he rubbed his nose.

“I was testing something…”

“You are testing my patience.”

Jeht didn’t deceive any further.

"...the fact that why the miner didn't talk to me."

Olga couldn’t perceive Jeht's answer for a while. Realizing that the change in his facial expression wasn’t a good sign so Jeht continued without letting him speak.

“I kept thinking why he didn't talk to me! Turns out he's dea-”

Realizing what he was saying, he stopped abruptly and explained it another way.

"He can't hear."

This was to pique Olga's attention as his expression changed to a confused expression. Jeht cried out in triumph. He had succeeded in diverting Olga's mind.

“That's why he wasn't talking to me. He didn't respond at all when I alarm—I mean, I made a sound, but he could understand me when I approached his face and spoke slowly. I sensed something strange.”

“Are you sure about that?”

Jeht began to fear again as Olga's face turned serious. He quickly shook his head.

“Yes, I am absolutely sure! He needs to be treated immediately or he can't work!”

Olga took a deep breath and closed his eyes. He looked calm now.

“Okay, I'll talk to the doctors. We need to know about his deaf-”

"Don't say deaf!"

For a moment, Olga seemed to get angry again when Jeht cut him off, but then he restrained himself. He continued calmly.

“We need to find out how much he can't hear. We will find a solution accordingly.”

"So what am I going to do in the meantime?"

Olga grinned in response.

“Of course you will be punished.”

Jeht fell to the ground, sobbing.

---

Life in Orion was progressing well and peacefully, although it couldn’t be compared to that at the peak of the human age. The central area of the city was crowded with people going about their business. Although the world had changed, humanity's desire to work still remained. That's how they survived. These cities from the sky, which they built by combining the tops of the skyscrapers they built, had become the new home of humanity and still continued to host many things just like before. Even though the water outside the artificial atmosphere is gaseous, the lake was present here. Most of the animal species they recovered from mutation lived in animal centers in certain regions. Fruit and vegetable production was also regulated. Although some things are still missed, humanity has managed to adapt to it. They had been living in this order for years.

A slight smile formed on Jeht's face as he pushed the grocery cart toward the hygiene section. It was so funny to him that he was feeling like he didn't belong anywhere when everything was in such harmony. It's a feeling that hasn't changed since he was little. He had thought that going into the army would make a difference, but after a while it started to feel the same. He didn't know what he wanted and it was eating away at him inside. He was really implying that when he told others he wanted to disappear.

“Are you going to buy anything?”

A woman's voice was startled, and he was snapped out of his thoughts. He realized at that moment that he was just waiting in front of the hygiene aisle.

“Oh, I'm sorry. I'll handle it right away."

He quickly threw the pads Samira wanted into the grocery cart and went to the cash register. He was just at the beginning of his sentence, yet he was already tired. Moreover, they didn’t give him a car, and he had to walk with all the bags in his hands. The fact that the area where the military base was located was on the hill compared to the center didn’t help this at all.

"But you can't restrain me like this." He murmured. He had already made a plan of how to return before he had come that far. All he had to do was use a little human relations talent.

---

"Thank you. You are very kind."

Jeht smiled at the woman in the driver's seat as he got out of the car. The woman stiffened with excitement at Jeht's smile, but then she quickly calmed down and said, "It doesn't matter. I'm glad I was able to help.” with a smile as well. Jeht's charisma seemed to take over, which is exactly what Jeht had planned. After waving lightly, he took the bags from the back seat and walked towards the entrance of the base without looking back. Samira greeted him at the door.

"I told Olga this punishment wouldn't work."

She took several of the bags from Jeht's hand.

"He must know that he can't stop me in any way."

"I think he's given up hope on you, so he doesn't think twice about you anymore."

Samira had said this so seriously that for a moment Jeht believed it to be true.

“I think he thinks the actual punishment will be enough for me. Don't look at me looking so relaxed, I'm already starting to get stressed."

A chill ran down Jeht's back as they entered. He was too close to his personal space but was not allowed to enter. When this thought came to his mind, he felt very bad. His anxiety was skyrocketing.

“I hope I don't have a panic attack.”

"I hope so. Because Olga forbade us to come near you as well. Unfortunately, you're on your own this time."

When they got to the kitchen, Samira took the other bags without saying anything else and went into the kitchen, leaving Jeht behind. From this point on, Jeht's punishment began.

With a sigh, he left the military base and walked down the hall to the miner's cell. He entered with a sulky expression on his face, fully aware that the miner wouldn't be able to hear his entrance. As he stepped inside, he saw the miner looking at him. It was a strange sensation knowing that the miner was watching him even though he couldn't hear the noise of his arrival.

Jeht took a moment to observe the miner. The past few hours –maybe more– had brought about subtle changes in the miner's demeanor. His eyes, though still distant, seemed more aware. It was as if a spark of curiosity had ignited within him, an ember of interest that hadn't been present before. Jeht had learned to read the miner's expressions even without words, and he could sense the miner's curiosity.

He sat down next to the miner, leaning against the cold stone wall. He looked at the miner and made eye contact, trying to communicate through his gaze. He gestured toward himself, then pointed at the miner, indicating that they were together in this small cell for the next three days. He then pointed at the ground, making a sign that he was grounded and couldn't leave.

“I hope you can understand this time.”

The miner continued to watch him, his expression unreadable. Jeht wasn't sure if his gestures were getting through.

Knowing that he would never be able to express what he had to say in sign language, he approached the miner's face and spoke slowly.

“I am grounded for using the S.O.S. Something we normally use in times of danger. It directs all troops to where the alarm sounds.”

He stepped back and leaned against the wall again.

“But it was the loudest item I had, and I wanted to convince myself that there was a really important reason why you weren't talking to me.”

He said this sentence mostly to remind himself once again that what he had done was really necessary.

The miner watched him intently, his eyes focused on Jeht's lips. And then, something incredible happened. He made his right hand into a fist and rubbed it in a circular motion across his chest. It was the first word he said to Jeht.

"I'm sorry."