First came the apology.
Then the flowers.
And finally, the quiet acceptance.
For the last three days, Cress had hardly talked to Thorne. Had hardly looked him in the eyes.
She was too hurt. The rational part of her obviously knew that Thorne's train of thought was sensible. There was comfort in knowing that if everything turned sour, they could leave, back into their old lives without each other.
But the less rational part of her was ... well, less rational. A bit flighty, definitely romantic and dreaming of an epic, life-long romance. One where two people just felt that they were soulmates and meant to be together.
And that part of her was the one that gave Thorne the cold shoulder. Because he should have let his romantic side be in charge when he proposed to her. Not propose with a plan on how to handle the eventual failure. Calculating an escape route so to speak.
Cress had said yes to his proposal in full trust and hope that this was right. Forever.
And now she had to learn that, apparently, Thorne hadn't proposed with the same full trust and hope that this was right. That maybe he didn't believe in forever.
Still wallowing in self-pity, Cress stuffed another chocolate truffle into her mouth. She had bought them from the Ukranian shop and whereas before, she had mostly welcomed the feeling of something familiar, she was now homesick. Homesick AND heartbroken.
The perfect recipe for a romantic movie. Cress didn't care it was elevon o'clock on a Wednesday. She wasn't wearing anything but comfortable, old spaceship-patterned pyjamas which already sported some brown chocolate smears and a pair of fuzzy socks. Her hair was an unkempt mess. She felt crappy, she might as well look like it. And Thorne wasn't around either. He had mentioned going to the bank, so Cress had claimed the living room for herself.
When the lead couple predictably broke off because of some forced conflict, even Cress became bored with her favourite genre. Usually, she loved the big romantic scenes that would make the sad scenes before worthwhile but today she wasn't in the mood. When the couple on screen had just no chemistry and the only conflicted was a result of not talking to each other, how could Cress relate?
No, Cress's problems were more serious than that. If she were honest with herself, Cress knew she should feel guilty about having lied to Thorne about her secret identity. Even though her days as Satellite lay now behind her, she had craved the normalcy she had experienced with Thorne as they travelled through Europe. Maybe it hadn't been fair to Thorne either. He had proposed to her, Cress, without knowing that Satellite would factor into their lives too.
Cress felt the faintest stirrings of guilt and was almost relieved when the news came on to distract her. Except the breaking news chilled the blood in her veins.
—The unknown virus is now spreading within Beijing city center. As of now, the source of virus is yet unknown, or how the infection spreads. The death toll has risen to 450 in the last week with no cure being available. Quarantine centres are being precautionarily erected to contain the spread with doctors facing difficulties to identify the symptoms soon enough to contain the infection. Rumours that the virus is connected to Lunars are not being commented on by the authorities. Security advisor Huy Deshal asks the population to stay calm and alert as long as the methods of the virus are still being researched and refrain from speculating and causing panic. Nevertheless, many Beijing residents are now fleeing the city, worrying authorities that the virus will spread even further into mainland China as a result and call for immediate travel prohibition for people living in and around the Beijing area.—
Cress muted the TV, her heart beating wildly in her chest. She closed her eyes, took a few calming breaths and created a link to her father's computer.
Her mind dissolved into codes, every synapse being shot into space and somersaulted back around the globe.
Encrypted transmission
…
Establishing link
….
Establishing link
…
Link established: Reciever online: SD
SD
Crescent, is that you?
CMD
Yes, it's me dad. How are you?
SD
Oh you know, the usual. I'm not the youngest anymore. My knees-
CMD
That's not what I meant, dad. I just heard about the virus. From the news! Why didn't you tell me?
SD
…
…
CMD
Dad!
SD
Crescent, it's fine. We're all working on it and I'm sure we'll have a cure soon.
CMD
Wait, why are you working on it? Your field are the Lunars?
SD
I know. And I'm still working on it.
…
You'll hear about it in the news soon anyway. Rikhan Zhen has caught the virus.
Cress gasped, the breath taking her out of the transmission for the fraction of a second. Rikhan Zhen was sick with the deadly virus! She had only seen him once while she visited her father's labs in Beijing but he and his son had been very kind and welcoming to her.
CMD
Dad you have to leave! It's dangerous, they want to evacuate the city center.
SD
Crescent, I'm fine. I don't leave the office and I started taking the necessary precautions when I-
CMD
There no precautions! They don't know it spreads. Dad, please, come back!
SD
Back where? My work is here. Ukraine has already prohibited any flights from Beijing, the States too. No worries, Crescent. Nothing will happen to me.
CMD
Please, be careful.
SD
I will.
…
So...
Though she had no connection to her body at present, Cress knew she was smiling knowingly at what came next.
SD
How is … he?
CMD
Whom do you mean?
SD
Him. The … husband.
CMD
:)
Sorry, I must have been smiling. You know he has a name, dad.
SD
Thorne is not a name. Who would name their kid that?
CMD
Um, dad you called me Crescent Moon.
SD
Which is a beautiful and fine name, young lady. I can't believe you're actually going by Cress now.
CMD
You know I couldn't keep my name. Cress is close enough.
SD
To think that I gave you such a melodic name and you-
Cress clinked herself out of the conversation for a while and let her mind roam around the Commonwealth servers, catching hints of information, hidden documents and private emails (she was a little bit surprised about the private folder Kaito stored about Mechanic), before she found the connection back to her dad's laptop.
-and Smith? Could it be a more ordinary name? You're special, so you should never forget I gave you that special name for a reason, Crescent.
CMD
I know, dad.
SD
What kind of marriage is that even where he doesn't even know your name.
CMD
A marriage where I want to protect him from my life as Satellite and that means I can't let him know anything about our relationship either.
It was on her tongue to add that he knew her mom's name and their marriage still had failed. But the divorce was still a sore spot for him and Cress had heard the same argument a few times already so what was there to say?
Also, it didn't sit well with her when her dad criticised her marriage with Thorne. Granted she wasn't ecstatic about Thorne at the moment either but her dad didn't need to know that. And he certainly had no right to call her out like that.
CMD
Everything is fine, dad. I just wanted to know why you haven't told me about the virus. I can forge your papers so you can leave Beijing. Take the train or find someone to get you to the outskirt of the city. I'll handle your voyage from there.
SD
…
Crescent, I can't. I need to research the virus, find a cure. My lab, my instruments, my documents, everything is here. I already lost the Lunar documents to Captain, I can't lose the letumosis ones too.
CMD
Letumosis?
SD
That's what I called the virus. It started here and if I'm not here, I can't find a cure. Just stay where you are.
As if she hadn't that one before.
CMD
Why don't you want me to be where you are? You didn't want me in Beijing last year either.
SD
If I had known you would just up and leave with that dealer-
CMD
He's an antique dealer!
SD
-then I would have kept you here. But since it's too late for that now, you might as well stay safe where you are.
Cress could almost hear the faux-casual tone and see the frown on her father's face.
Despite the annoyance, she loved her father and she was more scared than she tried to let on. But if he was adamant to stay, what could she do? Sage Darnel had always been stubborn. Brilliant and stubborn and if someone could find a cure for the virus, it was him.
CMD
Just promise me to be careful.
SD
I will. And Crescent? I love you.
CMD
I love you too, dad.
Cress logged her mind out, slowly returning into her body. It was a strange experience, logging in and out of her body and travelling along as nothing but codes and data. Her mind was ever-present but there was no body, no physical connection, nothing to touch. She was pure mind and logic, her feeling having no place in there. There was a numbness to it that she hardly managed to break.
She never stayed in the purely digital world for more than a few minutes, maybe half an hour tops. The longer she stayed, the harder it was to return, the sensation in her body unfamiliar. As if her body rejected the mind if she left it unoccupied for too long.
Stretching, her skin prickling as she willed her body to obey and accept the sensation. Her eyes fell on the shelf with her wedding photos. In the beginning of their marriage, Cress looked at it daily, giddy with happiness but after awhile, the times she looked at it became more and more infrequent.
She made her way towards it, picking it up like the precious thing it was and took her time to look at it.
Their wedding hadn't been a grand affair, not the way she had dreamed of as a girl. No wedding dress, no church, no family or friends. They had gone to the registry office, Thorne in a sharp blue suit, Cress in a matching blue etui dress, the only festive thing about it being the fine lace that covered it and served as sleeves. They had invited their new neighbours Carina and Anthony to be their witnesses and they were present on some pictures but not the one Cress was holding right now. That photo pictured only them, big smiles on their faces as they stood together, Cress in Thorne's embrace.
There was nothing in Thorne's smile that even hinted at the doubts he might have had. Just pure happiness.
That's why she had picked this photo to be the one they displayed more prominently, instead of even the one where they had firsted kissed as husband as wife. Because they had looked so happy together.
Were they still happy? Could Thorne's careless confession have destroyed everything they had? Did Cress want it to?
No, she decided. They were married and whatever else Thorne had mentioned, he still was in love with her. Didn't want to lose her. Shouldn't their present happiness count more than his past doubts?
She had lied about Satellite too and now that she left her superhero self behind, maybe it could be a new start for both of them. She would have to talk to it about Thorne tonight and see where they stood. But Cress wouldn't shun him anymore the way she had those past few days.
Cress glanced at the clock, now anxious for Thorne's return. He mentioned going to the bank but no other appointment. Would he return so soon into a home where he didn't feel welcome? Maybe he would stay somewhere else for a few more hours?
To pass the time and ease her nervous stomach, Cress decided to watch some TV. Maybe now she could enjoy the contrived conflict of the romcom she was just watching more.
But instead of teary confessions and happy endings, Cress landed on the breaking news.
Six hostages are confirmed to be in the clasps of the robbers. The police and special forces have evacuated the area around the bank extensively but if you look behind me, the bank is on that corner behind me but no one has been going in our out of the building for the last hour. We don't have any new details on who the robbers are and what they want but the police have sent patrolmen...-
Her fingers itched as Cress forced herself to remain calm while everything inside her wanted nothing more than to find her suit, jump out of the window and save the day.
A new life, she told herself, repeating it in her head like a mantra. A new life, a new life, a new life.
And still, pure instinct alone drove her mind out of her body again, travelling through the city to the little bank in Tremont and inside their surveillance.
Just to know everyone was alright, no one hurt.
Surveillance cameras served as her eyes, moving ever so slighty to take everything in.
There they were, a small group of heavily armed and masked men. She could count four as they hovered next to a group of hostages. Six, as the reporters had said. Two ladies in uniform that must belong to the bank's staff. A security guy, gagged and bound unlike the other hostages. A man and a woman in tight embrace, probably a couple. And then ...
Cress's heart bumped so hard in her chest that she felt it reveraberating all the way to where her mind existed in a realm of its own.
Because sitting on the floor with his back to the counter was Thorne.
And in that moment, Satellite returned.
A/N: Thanks to everyone who reviewed and supported my story so far and many thanks to my beta kiminicricket who is doing overtime with my chapters. :) Please review.