She helped him into the seat of the van before getting in herself and starting the engine. It was a short drive to the airport, they were quiet for the most of the drive.
"I wish I could see what it looks like. The last time I was here was the explosion."
"I would describe it but I don't have the words." Yuuna replied as she looked at the sunset. They were quiet after that. She stopped the van when they got to the airport, helping Jack out and letting him lean on her as they walked towards the entrance.
"Doctor Aaron?" a man at the desk said as she presented her hand to be scanned.
"I have to get this man to Gibraltar." she said as she let go of Jack who stood on his own and looked in the direction of the man.
"Is he safe to fly?" he asked, looking at Jack.
"Yes. He wanted to go home so I am taking him there, making sure he gets there safely."
"What's his name?"
"Michael Johnson." Jack replied as he looked towards the floor.
"What happened to his eyes?"
"He got blinded, he had surgery a few weeks ago, just transferring him to his home hospital." Yuuna replied before holding Jack's hand out for it to be scanned.
"Two tickets for Yuuna Aaron and patient. Alright, all checks out, go ahead." the man said. Yuuna smiled and pulled her bag up higher before leading Jack to the gate.
They boarded without problem, which left them both uneasy. Yuuna fidgeted in her seat as Jack put some headphones in and listened to some music. The flight was 8 hours long, they slept of a large part of it, unsure what to do otherwise.
"We will be landing soon so please put your seatbelts on." Yuuna heard for the second time in 3 days. She strapped in and them nudged Jack.
"We're landing, strap in." she said as he pulled his headphones out. He reached for the strap and strapped himself in, struggling slightly but managing. "How do the bandages feel?" Yuuna asked. "They itchy?"
"A bit." Jack replied as he reached up to scratch the bandage. Yuuna moved his hand away.
"I'll sort them out when we land, okay?"
"Okay." Jack said as they started to land.
It had just turned midnight when they landed. Yuuna retied the bandages as they waited for the taxi to come pick them up.
"Just a little longer." Yuuna said.
"I know kiddo." he replied as she tied the bandages again. He pulled his bag over his shoulder and let her lead him out into the cold night air. Even though it was early November it was still somewhat warm in Gibraltar. It still reached over 15 degrees, a huge difference to the -3 in Gothenburg.
"I forget how warm it stays here." Yuuna said as she looked up at the sky.
"It always was warm here. Gabi said it reminded him of home, I kinda see what he means now." Jack replied as the taxi pulled up. They rolled the window down and looked at the two of them.
"Taxi for Yuuna Aaron."
"That's me." she said, stepping forwards and opening the door. The driver pressed a button on the dashboard and the boot opened, Yuuna let Jack in before taking his bag and putting it in the boot along with hers. She went to sit next to him before realising she should sit next to the driver.
"So, whose the guy?" he asked, tapping in the address Winston had given him when he had called him.
"Michael, he's one of my patients, he just wanted to go home, but he needed medical care, thought I'd help him home." Yuuna replied.
"You're so nice to everyone, you know that. Wish my wife were as nice as you, you're a lot prettier too."
"Hey now. Leave her be." Jack said, seeming to sense how uneasy Yuuna got.
"Why, you dating her? Didn't think so. Hey, I'll make this a free ride if you meet me later."
"Umm no. I have some standards." Yuuna replied as she clenched her hands. He let out a laugh and put his hand on her leg.
"Yer funny too. Anything bad about you?"
"Yeah." she said as she drew a knife from her pocket. "Plenty." she said as she placed it against his neck. He removed his hand and drove them to the place they had decided to meet the others.
They pulled up and Yuuna got out of the car, grabbing their bags before helping Jack out of the car.
"How much?" Yuuna asked a she leant through the window.
"Free. Have a good time here."
"Thanks." she said before walking over to the building they had said to meet at.
Winston was stood just inside the door as the car whizzed away. Yuuna quickly unwrapped the bandages around Jack's eyes and he blinked in the harsh lighting. Winston smiled and walked over to them, wrapping them in a warm hug.
"Welcome to Gibraltar. They're already waiting for us so we should go." Winston said as he let them go. Yuuna smiled and rolled her eyes.
"You're really not telling me who "they" are are you?"
"Not a chance." Winston said, she could hear the smile in his voice.
They walked down to the base slowly, careful of every noise they heard, scared of what the dark might hold. They could see the base from the lights on inside. She smiled as she remembered the last time she had been there. She remembered waking up at the crack of dawn as Mcree ran past the doors screaming that it was snowing. She remembered the snow ball fight that followed, which was a terrible idea on everyone's parts.
"Yuuna?"
"Yeah?"
"You alright?"
"I'm fine, just remembering that time it snowed."
Winston laughed and continued down the path to the base.
"What happened? I don't remember it?"
"You weren't there, don't worry. You haven't forgotten it, you were at a meeting in London I think." she said quietly. He nodded and they continued down the path to the base where the doors were slowly opening.
A small figure was stood in the doorway looking nervous. Yuuna recognised them almost instantly as they stepped forwards. Her hair was tied out of her face, but her bangs remained hanging in front of her glasses.
"Mei? Is that you Mei?" Yuuna asked as she walked over to the other woman, hugging her close.
"Hi Yuuna. Long time no see." she said with a small smile as Yuuna let her go.
"Gods- wha- what happened? You went to eco point then dropped off the signal?"
"Yeah. We missed a supply delivery and there was a storm coming so Oparah set us to hibernate."
"It went wrong didn't it?"
"Yes. 9 years later and here I am." she said with a sad smile. Yuuna hugged her again before turning to glare at Winston and Jack.
"You guys are jerks for not telling me it was Mei." she said as she hugged her. "I'm glad you're alive Mei." Yuuna said before letting her go and entering the building.
The base had barely changed since she had last been, sure it was dustier and in need of some repair, but the fridge was still covered in pictures by Fareeha. The sofa still had that old blackwatch blanket thrown over the back, and there were still books sat on the table, marks still holding long forgotten places. She could just about make out the names carved into the wall, Mcree's was the easiest to see, he always took up as much space as he wanted.
Yuuna walked over to the wall and ran her hand over the names. Some were carved deep into the rock, others were in faded pen, only just legible after all the years. Names she had almost forgotten, names she could never forget, and names whose owner screamed at her as she forgot them. Yuuna grabbed a pen from her bag and went over the names, making them easier to read, harder to forget.
"How many of them are dead now?" Mei asked as she walked over.
"Too damn many." Jack said as he walked over, eyes looking over the names.
Yuuna looked up the wall, looking for names she hadn't redone, spotting some out of her reach. Jack wordlessly took the pen from her and did them.
"How much of the base has electricity?" Yuuna asked, her voice barely more than a whisper.
"A few rooms, mine and Winston's, the lab, this room and the kitchen." Mei said as she looked around the base. "Sorry it's not much."
"That's why we're here." Yuuna said, yawning quietly. "We'll start tomorrow, right now I think we all need sleep." Yuuna said as she walked over to a chair and sat down, resting her head on the table. "You take the sofa Jack." she said.
Jack sat down, putting his bag on the floor as Mei and Winston left the room. He stretched and lied down on the sofa, rolling onto his side as he watched Yuuna's breathing even out, knowing she had fallen asleep. He smiled gently as he sat up, grabbing the blanket and walking over to her, draping it over her shoulders.
"Thanks kiddo." he said before going back to the sofa and rolling onto his side.