A somber silence settled in the conference room of the security center. Eventually, Verne was the first to break it. Straightening, he looked at Sunny and said in a heavy tone:
"The… the best I can do is ask for volunteers among my Awakened. To risk falling asleep. Some of them might die, but a few should return with the news from the Dream Realm. Then, we can discuss evacuation by land."
Sunny stared at him without saying anything. His anger was suddenly gone, and instead, all that was left was fatigue, regret, and a vague feeling of dark resentment.
'Damn it all…'
If Verne indeed sent volunteers into the Dream Realm, even knowing that it would be a one-way trip for some of them… they would return in about eight hours. Finding out what was happening up north would help Sunny tremendously.
But eight hours was too long.
His growing panic was already almost suffocating. He did not know if they had eight minutes left, let alone eight hours.
"There's no time. You can't."
Verne leaned on the table and closed his eyes for a moment. It was hard to know what was going through his mind, but Sunny somehow knew that he would not be able to convince the stern officer.
His heart felt cold.
'Ah, that feeling… this bitter feeling. I have not tasted it in a while, I think.'
At that moment, Verne suddenly said:
"...A large convoy won't make it. But a single, robust vehicle probably can."
Sunny frowned, struggling to follow the line of thought, perhaps due to his exhaustion.
"What exactly do you mean?"
The older Master looked at him and shrugged with strange calmness.
"I mean that we don't have to put all our eggs in one basket. Your mission is not to protect every person in this facility, Sunless. Unlike mine. Your mission is to rescue one specific, high-value target. Both of us have to carry out our duty to the best of our ability, though. So… take Professor Obel, load up your APC, and leave immediately.
This way, even if your theory is right, it won't be… a total loss for humanity."
There was a lot that had been said, and a lot that had remained unsaid. But there was no need to speak some words aloud. The two Masters looked at each other for a few moments, a silent understanding between them. In the end, the corner of Sunny's mouth twitched.
"I still think that you are wrong. People don't know what is possible and what is impossible until they try it. Well… that was often the case, at least, in my life."
Verne simply nodded.
"Then prove me wrong, Sunless. I wish you luck."
Sunny grimaced, lingered for a second or two, and then turned around. A moment later, he was gone from the room.
He had nothing more to say, and no time to waste.
There was no time at all.
Feeling a frightening sense of urgency, Sunny used Shadow Step to appear directly inside the research center. This time, Beth was even more surprised to see him.
"Are you… wait, no way… Master Sunless, do you perchance keep frightening me just for fun?"
He shook his head, looked around, and then beckoned for the young woman to come closer. What he had to say needed to be kept from other ears.
Frowning, Beth left Professor Obel's side and walked over to where he was standing. Grabbing her by the shoulder, Sunny unceremoniously dragged the young woman to an adjacent room.
"Wha… what the hell do you think you're…"
He closed the door and turned around, his sunken, manic eyes making Beth shudder.
"Be quiet and listen. There has been a change of plans."
With no time to explain everything in detail, Sunny just told her the necessary parts — that the Professor was in danger, and that he had to be evacuated immediately.
That sudden revelation was hard to digest, and there would be a potentially fatal delay if Beth refused to listen immediately, so Sunny constructed his words in a way that played on her deeply ingrained values — loyalty to the old man and the desire to keep him alive.
Beth's eyes widened.
"But… but why come to me? Why didn't you just approach the Professor?"
Sunny simply shook his head.
"Professor Obel is a noble man. He would be reluctant to leave his people to save himself… so, I need you to persuade him. Fast. You know him best, after all."
The young woman still did not understand.
"But… but can't we just take everyone?"
Her voice was small.
Sunny looked at her somberly, knowing that was something that he couldn't do.
"My vehicle can only carry so many people. Now, go and do what I said. Every minute we waste can mean the difference between life and death."
Beth nodded in a daze, then slowly turned around, rearranged her lab coat, and left the room.
Sunny looked through the crack of the opened door at the scientists surrounding the professor, and then turned around in shame. However, this self-indulgence only lasted a second.
He had no time for regret, either.
Not caring about the expenditure of essence, Sunny traveled through the shadows and soon appeared near the Rhino. He could feel three shadows inside, while Luster, Kim, and Quentin were standing in front of the APC.
Noticing him, they straightened their postures.
"Captain, sir! Uh… I did as you told."
Sunny glanced at Luster and nodded.
"Go and run the startup sequence. I want the Rhino to be ready to depart at any second."
The young man's eyes turned into circles, but he swiftly dove into the hatch without asking any questions. Sunny, Kim, and Quentin were left alone in the biting cold.
Feeling his heart beating wildly, Sunny looked up at the sky.
The sky was covered by white haze.
'...The blizzard is starting again.'
At that moment, Quentin cautiously asked:
"Captain… I am sorry, but what exactly is happening?"
He gave the gallant healer a short glance.
"We're leaving."
Both his subordinates seemed startled.
"Leaving? Right now? But… why?"
Sunny lingered with the answer.
"Because we have orders to keep the VIP alive."
That seemed to make them stop asking questions.
A minute passed, then another. His bloodstream was full of adrenaline, as though he was in the middle of a battle. Time crawled at a snail's pace, and for some reason, Sunny felt as though he was locked inside a pillory, waiting for the guillotine's blade to come down.
'Walk faster, damn it!'
His instincts were screaming that they had to leave LO49, now.
Finally, two figures appeared from the milky-white haze. Professor Obel was walking stiffly, with a troubled face. Beth was both supporting him and carrying a small bag.
The old man stopped near Sunny and looked at him with a solemn expression. He hesitated to speak.
"Young man… I hear that you will be taking us away now."
Sunny nodded.
"Yes, Professor. Get inside, please. Hurry. I'll explain later."
They entered the Rhino and closed the hatch. While Beth was looking around with subdued curiosity, Luster sent the heavy vehicle moving.
The sentries had already been informed by Verne, so they opened the gate and allowed the Irregulars to drive through them.
…Until the last second, Sunny was certain that something would go horribly wrong. But, somehow, it didn't.
The Rhino drove away from the fortress, passed by the fleet of transports parked outside, and disappeared into the white wall of the blizzard. Only when the lights of the facility vanished from view did Sunny feel an almost overwhelming sense of relief.
He leaned… no, almost crashed… on the bulkhead behind him and let out a trembling breath.
'We made it. We made it in time…'
Although there were many confused and concerned gazes aimed at him, Sunny remained silent. Slowly, the distance between the Rhino and the Lunar Observatory Forty-Nine grew larger and larger. A kilometer, then another… then a dozen.
They were leaving it behind.
***
Some time later, when the heavy vehicle traversed approximately half the length of the coastal plain separating the ocean shore from the mountains, Sunny commanded Luster to stop and hide the Rhino in the wreckage of a massive war machine left behind from the Dark Times.
He closed his eyes and concentrated for a few minutes. His shadows made sure that there were no Nightmare Creatures laying around in wait.
After that, Sunny inhaled deeply.
"The Call is not too strong here. It should be condition green, so… congratulations, guys. You can finally rest."
Despite their unease and doubts, his soldiers reacted to that statement with visible excitement. They, too, were on the verge of collapse from fatigue and exhaustion.
"Luster, Kim, and Dorn. You guys sleep first. The other three, keep watch and take care of our guests."
They nodded, already knowing their roles.
"Yes, sir! But… uh… Captain, what about you?"
Sunny looked at Belle with a dark expression.
"...I have something to do."
He headed for the exit hatch. Beth tried to get in his way with a question, but he simply looked at her, and the young woman suddenly backed away.
Exiting the Rhino, Sunny walked into the blizzard, and then summoned the Nightmare. His loyal steed rose from the shadows, its eyes burning with dreadful crimson flames. Jumping into the saddle, Sunny sent it galloping through the snow.
He left one shadow to stand guard near the Rhino, of course.
By now, the range at which he could control it was past thirteen kilometers. That was more or less half the current distance between the Rhino and LO49.
He flew back south, summoning the closed featureless helmet of the Undying Chain to protect himself from the cutting wind. His shadow sense spread outward, replacing sight that was useless in the furious snowstorm.
Stopping at the very edge of Shadow Control's range, Sunny remained in the saddle, and sent another shadow forward. It slid south with tremendous speed, and eventually reached the walls of the facility.
There were formidable turrets on them, powerful spotlights flooding the immediate vicinity of the fortress with light, snowflakes dancing in the wide beams. The gates that the Rhino had left no more than an hour ago were tightly shut. A fleet of transport vehicles was parked in front of it, covered in snow, their initial purpose long forgotten.
The blizzard obscured the world, and for a moment — just like when he had first arrived — Sunny felt a pang of fear. It was as though the whole facility was empty, with only ghosts populating its streets.
…Only, this time, his fear came true.
There was no one standing watch on the walls. No soldiers patrolled the deserted streets. The buildings stood empty, with screens still showing recordings of entertainment programs, food laying on the plates, and coffee growing cold in the mugs.
But there were no people.
There were no scientists in the research laboratory, and no officers in the security center. The feed of the functioning security cameras showed no movement throughout the whole settlement.
The doors of the living quarters where the civilians had been confined were still locked, but there was no one inside. There were no signs of struggle, and no fresh footprints in the snow covering the ground outside.
Everything was just… still.
Fourteen hundred people had disappeared into thin air. They seemed to have simply vanished, like they had never existed at all.
…Many kilometers away, Sunny looked at the southern wall of the fortress through the eyes of his shadows. He felt compelled to send the shadow forward, and gaze at the dark ocean once more.
But in the end, with a shiver, he decided against it.
Soon, the shadow returned. Wrapping it around his body, Sunny commanded Nightmare to turn around, and rode into the blizzard without looking back.
Maybe he did not want to…
And maybe he simply did not dare.