Before she could right herself, or even get a firm idea of what was going on, Hana was thrown face-first into a patch of sun-broiled dirt. The telltale sounds of the other Junkers landing all around her told her she was not alone. She managed to roll out of the way just before Junkrat ate a mouthful of sand right where she had been, and then Boss crash-landed a meter away from them. Roadhog landed with a thud, and with his giant hands he was able to catch Ana before she hit the ground. "Thank you," Ana murmured as he set her down in the dirt beside him.

Hana spat out some sand and sat up. Boss was already on her feet, checking the others. "Is everyone all right?" she asked, her tone reminiscent of her old leader days.

Hana nodded. "Did he teleport us? Or maybe Satya did?"

Junkrat didn't get up. Hana turned to him and realized he was hugging the dirt. "Home sweet home," he cried, his voice muffled by the earth. "Never thought I'd be happy to be back in the wasteland."

That spurred Hana to actually take a look around at more than just the Junkers. It was true – they were somewhere back in Australia. It had that unmistakable look, feel, smell – nothing about it felt fake, unlike Vishkar's city. The sky even held the familiar haze that had taken over since the omnium explosion, though it wasn't nearly as thick as where they had been living before.

"They teleported us to the middle of the outback?" Hana scooped up a handful of dirt. Something jumped in her palm, and she quickly dropped it. The massive sand spider wasted no time digging itself back underground with its freakishly thick and powerful legs. "Yep. We're back home all right."

A strange noise disrupted their conversation. It sounded like someone shouting, but it was muffled. "Oh, Roadhog!" Ana gestured at something behind him. He got to his feet. Hana gasped. Crushed into the dirt – and looking none too pleased about that fact – was Satya. She sat up and furiously brushed the dirt off herself. "Ugh, how unsightly." She manifested a cloth and wiped herself clean. "Sanjay, what are you trying to…prove…?"

Satya trailed off as she got a good look at her surroundings. A warm wind blew unencumbered through the empty desert, and the sun, at only mid-evening strength, cast a soft gold tinge on everything it touched. And "everything it touched" amounted to basically an endless span of sand and rocks on the horizon.

"You got teleported too?" Hana scratched her chin. "I thought maybe it was you who sent us away."

Satya went very quiet. She seemed not to be paying Hana's words any attention. She took a few careful steps through the shifting sands, looking all around but remaining utterly silent.

"So, uh…" Hana continued, "this is the Australian outback. Don't know exactly where, since this isn't near where I lived. This is probably more towards the middle of Australia, where nobody really lives."

"Why would that dickhead dump us off here?" Boss folded her arms. "What, did he think we wouldn't be able to survive a little desert?" Hana nudged her. "What? …Oh."

Satya was wandering away from the group. There was nothing but sand in any direction – well, sand and the occasional rock or desert plant. As Hana and Boss watched, Satya sank to her knees and scooped up a handful of sand. It ran through her fingers, fine and silky.

"You can teleport back, right?" Boss called out to her. When Satya did not answer she moved closer, followed by Hana. "Hello?"

Junkrat, Roadhog and Ana followed them as well. Eventually they were all standing around Satya, waiting for her to say something. It took until Hana went and sat down in front of her that Satya finally spoke.

"This place is so quiet," she murmured. "Devoid of all the noises, the colors, the smells…"

Hana frowned. "I'm sorry. We can get you back to India–"

Satya's eyes were sparkling like Hana had never seen before. She got to her feet, two fistfuls of sand snaking out between her fingers. "It is…wonderful."

"Wait, what?"

"It is so peaceful here! I have never experienced anything like it!" She sat back down on the sand and hugged herself. She was smiling, essentially the last thing Hana would have expected out of this scenario.

Hana knelt beside her. "You…like it here? Seriously?"

Satya nodded. "Vishkar wants to transform the outback into another utopian city. I assumed it was like my home city, full of pollution and noise and ugliness. I did not know it was like this. So calm, so serene."

"Yeah," Boss mumbled, "this radioactive wasteland is really something."

Hana elbowed her.

"I always found deserts oddly soothing as well." Ana sat down a stretch away from Satya. "As a girl I was always wandering off to go exploring in them." She chuckled lightly. "Probably why I was drawn to the outback after leaving Egypt."

Satya reached down and ran her fingers lightly over some of the bunch grass growing out of the sand. "Vishkar will destroy all of this."

That spurred a hearty laugh from Junkrat. "Mate, do you have any idea how bloody huge the outback is? A damn nuclear explosion happened here and nobody batted an eye. There are prob'ly people in the 'burbs who don't even know anythin' happened out here."

Satya continued rubbing the grass between her fingertips. "Sanjay, and seemingly many others at Vishkar, have wicked intentions. He was trying to hurt me. Perhaps even kill me."

"I'm sorry, Satya," Hana said. "To be totally honest, I think the whole company is kind of too rotten to save at this point…"

"I must eventually return to them – I cannot let such wickedness go unchecked." She paused, her shoulders drooping a little. "But at the moment I feel…exhausted. Not just physically, but mentally. Emotionally, too, perhaps. This has been a lot to contend with."

"I don't blame you."

"So what are we doing now?" Boss interjected. "I mean, I have no idea where we are, so I'm not even sure where we'd be able to stay and rest or anything–"

Satya turned her metal palm upward. It began to glow with its familiar blue light. That light arced out across the sand and traveled upward, meeting in the air above them. Walls sprang up out of seemingly nowhere. The light solidified into a tiny house with windows, furniture and everything.

"Holy shit." Boss turned in a complete circle, gaping at the new building around them. "You're amazing."

Satya dismissed the compliment with a hand wave.

"I…guess we can stay here for the night," Hana said. "We'll need to find food and water, but…" She squinted at Satya. "You're really up for just staying in the middle of the desert?"

"Are you opposed to it?"

"No. It just seems weird that you'd be into nature survivalism stuff, considering where you came from…"

"Survival will not be an issue. I can relocate us anywhere at any time." Satya looked out one of the wide windows. "I am not sure how to explain this, Hana, but throughout my entire life I have been inundated with loud noises, bright lights, the chaos of far too many humans living far too close together. I have never experienced a quietness like this. It is so novel to me." She turned back to Hana. Her eyes were round and absolutely glittering, and she was smiling that crooked smile of hers. "For the first time in my life I feel as though I can actually breathe and think in peace. I can see why you and your Junkers would want to preserve this place."

Hana blinked. "Uh. Okay. Well, I'm glad you like it here. I always wished I grew up in a big city, but I didn't really mind growing up on a farm."

Satya clasped her hands together. "Your parents were farmers? Oh, that is so quaint!"

"Solar farmers. Not the kind with cows and horses."

"Ah." Satya lowered her hands. "Well, I imagine that would still be quite the better environment than being packed into a city with hundreds of thousands of residents and very little space to one's self."

"Yeah, that's probably true. It was nice to have a yard and lots of space to play in when I was younger."

"Yes, a child should have access to those things." She examined her fingernails. "I spent the majority of my childhood indoors. It was nice to be safe and clean, but it grew monotonous after a while."

Truth be told, Hana missed the warm sun of the outback more than she would have thought. "Do you want to go back outside for a few minutes?" she asked. "I could use some air."

To Hana's surprise, Satya agreed. Thus they left the other Junkers to settle into their temporary home base while the two of them stepped outside. Satya manifested a pair of lawn chairs. Hana relaxed into one of them, closing her eyes as the sun warmed her face. Who could have guessed Satya would adapt so well to being thrown into the middle of nowhere? It was almost like Sanjay's betrayal and her subsequent exile hadn't fazed her at all.

Hana reclined in the sun with her eyes closed. She probably could have fallen asleep right there if she hadn't eventually picked up on a quiet noise beside her.

She opened her eyes to find Satya curled up in her seat. One hand covered her eyes, and from beneath it leaked a stream of tears. Her dress was already stained with a myriad of droplets. "Oh, Satya–" Hana immediately got up and sat down on the end of Satya's chair. "Don't cry. It's okay."

Satya only retreated further into herself. Both hands moved to cover her face then, and she formed herself into a tight, impenetrable ball. Hana reached out and tried to lay a reassuring hand on her knee. Satya made a guttural noise and withdrew out of Hana's reach.

"I know Vishkar is like, the only thing you've ever really known," Hana said, "but it's not like you have to leave them forever. You're – you're, like, chaperoning us. You know? You could think of it that way, that you're looking after the Junkers while we're away from Vishkar."

Satya lifted her face, exposing her eyes just the tiniest bit. "Sanjay was trying to kill me," she said, her voice shaking. "All because I didn't want to kill you."

"I know. It's not you, though. It's because he's a bad person. It's hard, but you have to remember that."

"He is doing what he thinks is best for Vishkar's future." Satya's shoulders quivered. "I was weak and could not follow through with Vishkar's plan. You all contribute nothing to the betterment of humanity. I was supposed to let you die for the greater good. But I was weak. I could not do it."

"That doesn't make you weak. It makes you a good person."

"What is the point in being a 'good person' if I fail at the one single purpose I was given in this life?"

"Well, you make a lot more friends this way."

Satya huffed. "What 'friends' do I have?"

"Me? And all the other Junkers." Hana made another attempt at contact. "You helped us, Satya. We're not gonna forget that."

This time Satya allowed Hana to rest a hand on her knee. "…You consider us friends?"

"Well, yeah. Why not?"

"I thought friendship was different than…this. I always imagined it as something a lot more formal. Mutually declared by both parties or something."

Hana tried not to laugh. "What, like signing a contract?"

Satya lifted her head. Her bloodshot eyes stared directly into Hana's. "That is what I learned in my time at Vishkar. That friendship was comprised of extraneous and unnecessary rituals. Similar to a romantic courtship."

"Wait, so you've never had a real friendship before?" Hana balked.

Satya shook her head.

Hana gasped. "Well no wonder you feel like you don't have anything going for you except work. You need to see how awesome it is to hang out with people who want to spend time with you because they care about you. Not just because you work with them."

Satya stared down at her lap. With some hesitation Hana crawled up to her in the chair and wrapped her arms around Satya's neck. Satya froze for a moment, but then her own arms settled around Hana. Hana felt a teardrop land on her head as she rested her cheek on the other woman's chest. They lay there for a long while, with only the wind and Satya's delicate sniffles as background noise.

"So I am chaperoning the Junkers," Satya murmured at one point, her voice still a bit wobbly. "That is at least serving some purpose, I suppose."

"Yeah, it is." Hana closed her eyes. "And you're my stand-in big sister now, remember? I'm holding you to that."

"Ah, yes." Hana could hear a smile in Satya's voice. "You are right. I have sisterly duties to attend to, don't I?"

"Mhm." Hana allowed herself to relax on Satya. "You're not going anywhere until I get nineteen years' worth of the sibling experience I missed out on."

Satya actually chuckled at that. "Well then, I will see what I can do."

Hana could have stayed there, relaxing in the warm sun, forever. Unfortunately that wasn't to be – something exploded inside the house, scaring the hell out of both Hana and Satya. Hana leapt to her feet and hurried back inside. In doing so she ran straight into Junkrat, who was just standing in the middle of the room with a depressed detonator in one hand.

"Jeez, man, you scared me." Her heart was still racing. After all she'd been through she was more than a little wired.

Junkrat continued to stare at her. "My bombs never scared you before."

"Because I was expecting them…?" Hana made a face. "Why are you acting weird?"

"Why are you still best pals with that Indian lady?"

"Because she's a good person? Vishkar was using her, but now she's away from them. I think she's starting to realize they're bad news."

"Oh sure, sure. Yeah, we should definitely trust her!"

"I know it seems hard to believe, Jamie," Hana put extra emphasis on his real name to command his full attention, "but I lived with her for over a month. She's an ally, a friend to the Junkers. If it wasn't for her we'd all still be trapped there. Hell, you guys might not even be alive right now if it wasn't for her."

Junkrat turned and walked away from her, but stopped before he got too far. "You still got that chip in your skull," he said without turning around. "Now suddenly you're bestest pals with a Vishkar suit. How do we know we can trust you at all?"

"You think I'm gonna–"

"How do we know she's not gonna set you loose on us in the night and tell you to kill us all? Or worse, take us back to that hellhole corporation? I ain't goin' back, Hana."

Hana swallowed. There was no way for Junkrat, or any of them for that matter, to know for sure that she was trustworthy now. She was a liability to them. A risk. And she couldn't even be mad at them for feeling that way.

"I'm not under their control anymore, Jamie." Hana spoke in a low, small voice. "Trust me, I could feel it when I was. Everything was all weird, like being on drugs 24/7. I feel totally clearheaded now."

Junkrat folded his arms and stared out one of Satya's perfectly symmetrical window constructions. "'Course. Then that lady says the right word and suddenly you're strangling us to death in our sleep like a goddamn sleeper agent."

"Jamie that doesn't happen in real life."

"How do you know it doesn't?"

Hana exhaled. "You really don't trust me."

When he didn't answer, she closed the gap between them and came to stand beside him. He crossed his arms tighter and rotated so as to still be facing away from her. "Christ, Deevs, it's not – it's not like I don't want to. But I ain't gettin' captured again. I'm done with that shit."

"Me too! Because I'm not loyal to them anymore. I never really was!"

Finally, Junkrat turned and met her stare. But all he said was, "Me 'n Roadhog are leavin'."

"What?"

"We just…gotta get away from all this crap for a while. We're going to do what we decided to do way back at the prison."

"Jamie–"

"We're leavin' now. Just the two of us. Maybe we'll come back someday, but for now…" He exhaled, his gaunt shoulders dropping. "I just gotta get away from all this mess."

Hana bit her lip. "…Fine. I understand."

Junkrat straightened his spine, trying desperately to appear stoic. "If you're fine and not bein' controlled by Vishkar or whatever, then you'll still be around whenever we come back. Right?"

"I don't know where I'll be." It was the truth – these days she had no idea where would end up from day to day.

"We'll find ya."

Roadhog appeared from another room, a small bag of belongings slung over one shoulder. Hana couldn't bear to look at either of them. After all this, they were just leaving? She couldn't hate them for it, because it wasn't like they hadn't made their goal clear from the very start. They wanted to achieve international infamy, and staying with a girl who was possibly still brainwashed and an agent of the corporation that did the brainwashing was hardly the way to ensure that goal was met. But that didn't make it hurt any less.

Junkrat hovered around her as if he wanted to say or do something but didn't know how to initiate it. "Bye, Jamie," was all Hana could make herself say to him before he left.

The two slipped out the back door without another word. Hana watched them disappear into the sand-blown distance. As she did her hands balled into fists, so tight her nails chewed into the flesh of her palms. It took everything she had not to burst into tears. That was part of her family walking away. And they were walking away from her specifically. They no longer felt safe around her, and she couldn't blame them in the least.

Once they had vanished completely from her sight Hana swallowed around the lump in her throat and unclenched her fists. She looked to the closed door on the opposite side of the room.

"I can't blame them for not trusting me."

Ana held Hana as she cried weakly into her chest. "I don't even know if I trust myself." Her words were obscured by the fabric of Ana's cloak. She wasn't sure if Ana could hear her. She wasn't sure she wanted Ana to hear her.

Ana didn't say much, opting instead to simply pat her on the back and occasionally wipe her tears away with a thumb.

"Maybe you all shouldn't trust me. Maybe you should just leave me out here by myself. That way I can't be a danger to anybody."

"Hana," Ana whispered, "don't say such things. You know yourself. You know that you are not a threat to your friends."

Hana pressed her forehead against Ana's shirt. Her fists balled into the fabric. Her brain was so screwed up. Before all this she was never the clingy, emotional type. Now she couldn't stop crying and hanging on to anyone who so much as spoke to her. Is it because of the radiation? Or the brain damage Vishkar probably did to me? So much has happened I barely even know who I am anymore.

"While we were separated from you, Vanessa mentioned returning to her parents." Ana ran a hand through Hana's small amount of hair. "Perhaps the two of you would be better off back in a full family unit."

"No, I want to stay with you."

Ana did not respond. Eventually Hana pulled back a little and looked up at her. "You're staying with us, right?"

Ana avoided looking at her. "I plan on returning to Egypt very soon."

"What? Why?"

Ana smiled down at her, though the smile was heavy, as if trying to cut through a veil of sadness. "You are a sweet girl, Hana. You have reminded me of how much I miss my Fareeha."

"Oh." Hana bit her lip. Of course Ana didn't want to stay here. She wasn't Hana's mother. She had a real daughter to return to. "Maybe I could come with you?"

Ana shook her head. "I have to reconnect with some other people as well. They are old friends of mine, but they are dangerous. I don't want you any more endangered than you have already been."

"So when will you leave?"

"As soon as everyone here is all right with it. I'd like to make sure you have a safe place to stay first."

"Will you ever come back?"

Ana paused for a long moment. "I'm not sure what the future will hold for me," she said. "I would like to say yes, but truly I do not know."

Hana sank down face-first into the bedsheets. "I need to go talk to Boss," she mumbled.

Ana stroked her back again. "That's probably a good idea. I promise I will not leave you until you are ready."

Hana reluctantly sat up. Her eyes were stinging and her cheeks were crusty with a mixture of sand and the salt from her dried tears. With a sniff, she said, "I'll go talk to her."

She didn't even have to go looking for Boss. The other girl's presence radiated out to her, a constant flicker of static in the back of Hana's mind. She opened one of the identical hard light doors to find Boss loitering by a window. A cold tingle coursed its way up her spine and across the flesh of her neck. Boss didn't turn around. She didn't have to.

"Are you okay?" Boss asked.

"Yeah. I'll be all right." Hana sat down on the bed in this room, identical to the one in the other room. "You?"

"I'm fine. I was just thinking about stuff."

Hana cleared her throat. When Boss glanced over her shoulder Hana gestured for the other girl to come sit beside her on the bed. Boss shrugged off her filthy jacket and laid it on the windowsill. Beneath it she wore only a dingy white tank top. Hana had never really gotten a good look at her bare arms – they were surprisingly well-defined. She felt a small urge to reach out and touch them, but she refrained from doing so.

Boss sat down beside her and rested her elbows on her thighs. "I've been thinking about my parents. I should probably get back into contact with them at some point."

"They don't know you're still around?"

Boss shook her head. "I know, I feel like an asshole. But you don't know them, they were – I mean, they were good parents, but sometimes it felt like they had me in a chokehold." She shifted her weight a little. "…Sorry. I know I should be thankful I have them at all."

Hana stared at the floor. "Junkrat and Roadhog are gone."

"Gone?" Boss tilted her head. "Where'd they go?"

"They don't trust me or Satya. So they took off."

"Damn. I'm sorry, Hana." Boss fidgeted a little. "I mean, you know I didn't like Roadhog, but I know you cared about them. I hope I didn't have anything to do with them wanting to leave."

Hana leaned back against the wall. "Ana's leaving, too."

"Seriously?"

"She wants to get back to Egypt, to be with her daughter."

"Well I guess I can't fault her for that." Boss shrugged. "We're not her kids."

"I wish I was." Hana had never vocalized that thought, or even really thought it through in her head. Apparently her mouth was more in tune with her brain than the rest of her was.

Boss studied her with soft eyes. "You really care about her, huh."

Hana stared out the window. "I just miss having parents."

They sat in silence for a few minutes. Hana picked at the hot pink nail polish she'd chosen and applied while at Vishkar. It was a nice color, and in any other circumstance she might not have minded it, but she couldn't look at it without thinking of all that had transpired. Likewise, her stupid bodysuit was cooking her in this heat. She wanted to shed it all.

"So, uh," Boss folded her hands behind her head in an attempt to seem casual. "Satya's really something, huh? I wonder if she has a boyfriend..."

"Don't go hitting on Satya," Hana snapped. "She's been through enough already."

Boss held her hands up. "Whoa, I didn't say I was gonna hit on her. I was just saying–"

Hana crossed her arms and looked away from Boss.

"Jeez Hana, I'm not going to–"

"What about me?"

"Huh?"

Hana crossed her arms tighter. "I thought you liked me."

Boss blinked a few times. "I do. But you're not interested."

"How do you know I'm not?"

Boss gaped. "…Are you?"

Hana shrugged. "I don't know. I didn't mind kissing you."

Boss leaned over to force eye contact between them. "Are you shitting me? You're telling me all this time I actually had a chance here?" She waved her hand between the two of them.

A tiny smile formed on Hana's lips. "I don't know. Maybe you have to seduce me."

"Well lucky for you I'm a master of seduction."

Hana snorted. "Yeah, right–"

Boss wrapped an arm around Hana's waist and pulled her in for a surprise kiss. Their teeth accidentally clacked together on impact, causing Hana to recoil. "Ow!"

"Shit, sorry!" Boss covered her mouth with her hand. "I didn't mean to do that."

Hana ran her tongue over her teeth. "I guess it's a good thing Vishkar filed these down, or I might've bit your lip off."

"Maybe I'm into that."

"Oh yeah?"

They reunited for a better kiss, this time with the two of them appropriately tilting their heads so as not to slam their teeth together. Hana drew in close to Boss' chest and let the other girl wrap both arms around her. They fit together nicely, Boss just slightly taller than Hana, with just enough meat to make her comfortable to lean into. Of course her kissing was just as sloppy as last time, but at least during this kiss it was obvious she was taking her time and pacing herself rather than acting like she was going to eat Hana's face off. Hana rested a hand on the side of Boss' face, subtly guiding her into a good rhythm.

In the middle of their makeout session suddenly Boss started laughing. She pulled away from Hana to catch her breath. Hana smiled uncertainly. "What?"

"Sorry. I just remembered the first time we met. How you came smashing through the wall of my office at the prison."

Hana's smile evolved into a full grin. "I remember that! Junkrat told me to!"

"This gorgeous girl busts into my office in a refurbished power loader and thinks I might not accept her into the Junkers." Boss smirked. "Did you really think I wasn't going to let you join?"

"I wasn't sure! You seemed so serious."

"I know. I'm scary like that." Boss settled her hands on Hana's waist. A pleasant jolt of sensation coursed through Hana's body. She leaned up and kissed along Boss' jawline, culminating in their lips meeting again. One of Boss' hands worked its way up Hana's back, gently moving up and down. The warmth spread in waves through Hana's body, the best she'd felt since Vishkar had been messing with her brain.

When they parted again, it was Hana who initiated it. "…Vanessa?" Using Boss' real name felt a little odd, but in such an intimate setting calling her by a nickname just felt weird. Boss seemed to feel the same way, for she raised an eyebrow but remained locked in a tight embrace with her.

"I've been through so much crap," Hana continued. "I could really use some stress relief."

Boss stared at her for a long moment. "You want, like, a massage or something?"

"Um, something like that."

"That's what you meant, right?"

"…Sort of..."

Boss pushed her locs out of her face, fixing Hana with a full stare. Hana leaned in and kissed Boss on the cheek. When she drew back she searched Boss' eyes. She wasn't sure how to convey her thoughts outright. It felt too awkward.

Thankfully Boss seemed to pick up on what she meant. "You want to…?"

Hana reached around and unzipped the back of her bodysuit as best she could. Upon realizing she couldn't get it all the way off herself, Boss hesitantly reached over and, with Hana's nod of approval, helped her emerge from the suit. Hana immediately latched herself onto Boss, letting the other girl run her hands over Hana's exposed flesh. They melded together into another kiss.

It wasn't long before Hana was pushing Boss down onto the bed. "Thank you," she whispered as she guided Boss' hands up under the soft cloth of her bra.

"Uh, you're – you're welcome." Boss looked like she was liable to faint at any moment, but she held herself together and pulled Hana down on top of her. Their legs tangled together, Hana settled herself on top of Boss, who was already pulling her tank top off. "I, um…"

"Hm?" Hana trailed her fingers up Boss' stomach. She paused to toy with the little satin bow in the center of Boss' cute purple bra.

Boss averted her eyes. "I, uh, love you. And stuff."

That brought a genuine smile to Hana's face. "That's really gay."

"Oh, shut up." Boss flipped onto her side, forcing Hana to grab tight to her to avoid falling off the bed. Hana slapped her arm. Boss stuck her tongue out, which was, of course, an invitation for Hana to lean in and bite it. They both dissolved into a fit of giggles. It didn't take long for Boss' tongue to slip inside Hana's mouth, just as clumsy and forceful as the girl it was attached to. Hana ran her own tongue along the underside of Boss'. Boss' eyes widened and she pulled back for a moment. "Okay, I have literally no idea what I'm doing, but that felt weirdly good. Is that what you're supposed to do when you use your tongue?"

"Honestly? I have no idea what you're 'supposed' to do. I can barely remember what I had for breakfast this morning, forget bedroom tips from years ago." She cupped Boss' face in her hands. "But if you like it, I'll do more stuff like that."

Boss nodded shyly. And so she and Hana resumed exploring each other's mouths while their hands explored each other's bodies – and as they did so Hana picked up a bizarre memory somewhere in the fog of her mind. The scenario felt familiar, as if she had done it before. Or at least something similar, with some other girl somewhere in the past. Had she always had feelings like this?

Concentrating on the fleeting thought a bit more intensely, Hana could recall a little more of it. It happened after school one afternoon. She had invited one of her girl friends over, a nerdy, somewhat oddball girl who sat at her lunch table and liked to play video games as much as Hana did. What had started out as a couch gaming session had quickly turned into something neither of them had anticipated. Hana could remember now.

She withdrew from Boss. "I'm bi," she said.

"Oh yeah?" Boss didn't seem too fazed by the revelation. She was already trying to resume their kiss again.

Hana held her back for a second. "I've been calling myself bi for a few years now. I can't believe I forgot that…I wonder what else I've forgotten about myself…"

Boss ran a hand through Hana's hair. "You'll remember it all eventually. I mean, you remembered that."

"Because I was racking my brain trying to think of why I was so attracted to another girl."

Boss smiled a little. "You're attracted to me?"

"I'm about to have sex with you, aren't I?"

"Well yeah, but maybe I'm just a last resort."

Hana reached around and unhooked her bra, tossing it to the floor. She leaned down into Boss, her bare chest brushing the other girl's exposed flesh. "Shut up," she whispered into her ear, then smirked as goosebumps broke out across Boss' otherwise-smooth skin. A low, sexy growl rumbled deep in Boss' throat as Hana nibbled at her ear. Boss' strong hands seized Hana's scrawny body and held her firmly in place. As Hana kissed her throat Boss slid one hand down to Hana's backside and gave it a small squeeze. Hana pulled away and made a face at her. Boss tugged her back down, capturing her in another kiss.

Hana sighed into Boss' mouth as she felt a cautious, slightly shaky hand slip down into her underwear. She closed her eyes and let the sweetness of the moment overtake her.

Hana hadn't even realized she'd fallen asleep until she woke up, still naked, in Boss' arms. To her surprise, Boss seemed to be asleep as well. Hana nudged her. Sure enough, Boss opened one glassy eye and murmured "Huh? Was I…asleep?"

"I thought you didn't have to sleep?" Hana made a half-hearted grab for her bra, but it was too far away to reach.

"I thought not, either. Guess you really wore me out."

They both grinned.

"Man, that was great." Boss rolled over on her back and sighed. "Almost worth dying a virgin for."

Hana drew the weird translucent hard light blanket up over her chest and cuddled up to Boss. "I can't reach my bra," she murmured, "and my nips are freezing."

Boss snorted. "Here, I'll help." She grabbed Hana's chest with both hands.

"Ah, no, your hands are even colder!" Hana squirmed.

"Shoulda thought of that before you complained." Boss released her, then got up and grabbed Hana's bra for her. "Here."

Hana put it on, then swung her legs over the edge of the bed. "Now where the heck are my underwear?" Snickering, Boss pointed behind her. Hana turned to find them dangling halfway off the nightstand beside the bed. "Oh."

Boss didn't seem too wary of her own nakedness. She sat back down on the bed, crossed her legs, and stared out the window while Hana reluctantly prepared to zip back into her bodysuit.

"Really wish I had some other clothes," Hana murmured.

"You want my jacket? It'll be more than long enough on you."

"I don't want to wear your smelly old jacket." Belying her words, she was already bending to pick it up off the windowsill. While she was bent over she heard Boss chuckle to herself. "Are you looking at my butt?"

"Me? Never."

With a tiny smile Hana wiggled it a little.

"Okay, now I'm looking at it." Boss hopped up off the bed. On the way to grab her boxers off the floor she reached over and pinched Hana's backside. Hana's cheeks pinkened. When Boss was turned around she snuck up behind her and pinched her harder. "Ow! …Guess I had that coming."

Boss' jacket fit Hana and then some. It reached past her knees, and when she buttoned it one almost couldn't even tell she wasn't wearing anything underneath. Boss pulled on her tank top and jeans beside her. As she did so Hana let herself steal a glance over at the other girl. Boss apparently had the same idea, and they caught each other in the act. Hana blushed deeper. Boss just grinned.

Once they were dressed, Hana actually took the time to ponder how log they had been asleep. She guessed it was only probably an hour or so at most, for the sun was down but it was not yet fully dark out. I hope Ana didn't leave. She'd said she wouldn't go without telling Hana, but Hana had no idea if she could trust Ana's word about that sort of thing.

She was hesitant to even leave the bedroom, afraid of what she would discover when she did. Boss seemed to pick up on her hesitation. She took Hana's hand and gave it a tiny squeeze. Hana let Boss lead her out the door and into the small living room of the hard light house.

The first sight they came upon was Satya sitting in an armchair that had definitely not existed an hour ago, her thumb and index finger rubbing a handful of her dress while she studied a projection laid out in front of her.

"Hey." Hana approached her. Satya glanced up, adjusting her visor.

"Oh, hello. Are you finished with your…"

Hana and Boss exchanged a look, then Hana shifted her focus back to Satya. "My…?"

Satya waved a hand between the two girls. "You were…quite…audible."

Hana's face boiled red hot. Boss covered her mouth with one hand.

"Worry not." Satya resumed studying whatever she was studying. "I shall not judge you. In fact…"

Hana raised an eyebrow. "What?"

Satya rested her chin on one hand. A tiny smile curled her lips. "I am almost a bit…envious. In my youth I always enjoyed tales of romance. But I was never able to experience it for myself."

"Does Vishkar not allow that sort of thing?"

"It is not forbidden, but it is highly discouraged. In recent years there has been a program put in place to provide the live-in Architechs with artificial families – Vishkar androids. To me it always seemed sad and a bit pathetic, but some of the Architechs embraced it. I suppose loneliness can take its toll on those of a weaker constitution than I."

For someone who had just gotten kicked out on her ass into the middle of an irradiated desert, Satya apparently still had an ego the size of the entire outback.

"Well you're not dead yet." Hana shrugged.

"Hell, even death didn't stop me," Boss added with a grin. Hana rolled her eyes, Boss' grin unfortunately contagious.

Satya chuckled. "Thank you. But I have responsibilities that take priority over that sort of thing."

Boss took a pointed look around. "Yeah, seems like you're gonna be crazy busy out here."

"I know! So much to log." Satya altered the hologram in front of her, rotating it so Hana and Boss could see exactly what it was. This revealed to them several bulleted lists of notes and observations that included things like an estimation of the current temperature, notes on the (scarce) vegetation, and even a rough 3D model of the surrounding area.

"What's all this for?" Hana could only pray she would not receive the answer she was expecting.

Of course, that was too much to hope for. "For Vishkar, of course." Satya shrank the hologram back down and continued fiddling with it. "I did undermine the company's security, and I will take full responsibility for my actions, but I am confident that with all the observational data I will bring back to them that they will forgive my mistakes. In fact, perhaps that is their plan to begin with. They are giving me a second chance at redemption."

Hana and Boss exchanged a glance.

"And perhaps Vishkar can find a better use for this unique land than simply building a city atop it. Perhaps it could make for a good vacation spot, or a nature reserve. We can impose volume limits so as to keep it quiet and peaceful…yes, this is thinking much more efficiently than applying a universal solution to all of our properties."

Hana stared blankly at her as she continued prattling on about Vishkar colonizing the outback. She didn't have the heart to tell her that something like that would never happen. The Junkers could hardly survive out here. Nobody was going to want to vacation to a nuclear wasteland, nor would anyone want to even work there long enough to establish a 'vacation spot' on it. Especially not those snobby Architech assholes.

Boss was giving her the side-eye as well, but neither of them said anything. Once she was apparently finished with her rambling Hana immediately said, "I'm gonna go check on Ana."

"Oh." Satya must have noticed their lack of interest in her topic, for her demeanor changed at Hana's shift in topic. "She was pacing a bit earlier, but I believe she has retired to one of the bedrooms I created."

"Okay, thanks." Hana started off toward one of the closed doors.

Before she could reach it Satya spoke up again behind her. "Where are the two male Junkers who were accompanying us?"

Hana stopped. In her still-groggy state she had nearly forgotten that Junkrat and Roadhog were gone. "So they didn't come back?"

"No. I have not seen them since we arrived here."

Hana reached over and opened the bedroom door before her. "They're gone," she said. Before Satya could ask for any elaboration she walked forward into the room and closed the door behind her.

Upon stepping inside the room Hana discovered Ana sitting at a small, simple table in the corner of the room. Something on the table in front of her was glowing. Hana approached her slowly. It seemed like she either didn't hear Hana or wasn't paying attention to her, and Hana didn't want to startle her.

"Ana?"

The glowing object turned out to be a portable hologram projector. Hana crouched down beside Ana and studied it. The image was that of a child – a girl with chin-length black hair bound in golden beads and an innocent, hopeful look to her face.

Ana stared down at it, saying nothing.

Hana looked from the girl to Ana and then back again. "Is that your daughter?"

In the glow of the hologram she caught sight of Ana's good eye – and she noticed it was glittering just the faintest bit. "Ana…" Her first instinct was to console her, but she restrained herself from doing so. Ana did not seem like the type to want to be coddled.

"I wanted to write to her," Ana murmured, "before I see her again. I wanted to explain everything that happened. But so many years have passed now – I have no idea the kind of woman she's grown up to be. I don't even know where to begin." She reached out with one hand and lightly brushed the hologram. The image disrupted for a moment, but quickly reformed itself. "You never imagine you could someday be at a loss for words with your own child."

Hana remained crouched at Ana's side, but said nothing. No advice she could dispense would be useful. Ana must have known that, for she did not seem to expect an answer out of her.

"All this time I remained with the Junkers," she added after a long silence, "I stayed to protect you, Hana. You were so vulnerable. I planned to set off on my own long before now, long before Vishkar, even – but every time I looked at you I just saw Fareeha. Alone, waiting for her mother to come home. But now…"

"Hey, Deevs, did ya find her?" Boss' voice rang out through the tiny house. "You kinda just…shut the door, so I didn't want to, um, I didn't want to intrude or anything."

Ana returned her attention to the hologram, giving Hana the unspoken go-ahead to respond.

"Yeah," Hana called back, "she's in here. We're just talking."

"Oh, okay. Good. Well, me and Satya are gonna go look for something edible for you guys before it gets too dark to see. Hope you don't mind eating bugs, because that's probably the majority of what we're gonna find out there."

"I would sooner teleport us somewhere to find actual food." Satya's faint voice just barely passed through the door. "Perhaps you lot are comfortable eating insects, but I am absolutely not…"

Their voices trailed off, leaving Hana and Ana in silence again. Ana returned her attention to Hana. Her expression was just a bit less solemn then. "I know this is not ideal for you, Hana, but I feel that you are safe enough with Satya and Vanessa. They have each proven themselves more than once. I would remain if I could, but–"

"It's okay, Ana." Hana stopped her. "I understand."

Suddenly Hana was drawn into a fierce, motherly bear hug by the other woman. Ana held fast to her for several long seconds. "You've taught me a lot of things, Hana," she whispered. "You are a sweet, kind, gentle girl with so much love to give. I hope you will never lose those qualities."

Hana hugged her tight. "I'll try not to."

Ana released her with a small smile. "We will see each other again. I'll make sure of it."

"Maybe you and Fareeha can both visit."

"I hope so. Though I shudder to think of the two of you together. Two of the most hard-headed girls I've ever met." Ana's smile grew.

"Really? Is she like me?"

"In some ways."

"You have to introduce us someday. Seriously."

"I will try my very hardest." Ana ruffled her hair. "For you."

With that, Hana plunked herself down on the bed and rested her chin on her palms. "Tell me about her."

"What do you want to know?"

"Whatever you want to talk about."

Ana settled herself in beside Hana. "Well, we come from a long line of decorated soldiers in Egypt. Fareeha grew up around that lifestyle, and, just like her mother, she always wanted to be a hero…"

Hana leaned on her shoulder and simply listened.

Sanjay held tight to the framed picture on his desk. His hand shook as he stared at the smiling faces of his family.

"All right. I upheld my end of the deal." He tried to steel his voice as much as possible. "Now you let them go."

The masked hacker on the holovid in front of him waggled a finger. "There's one more condition to our deal."

"What? You said if I sent them away you'd let them go!"

"Yeah, well, you don't exactly have a say in this."

Sanjay's fingers tightened on the photo frame. "What more do you want from me?"

The hacker folded their arms. "Now that my eyes and ears into Vishkar are gone, you're gonna be my new inside guy. Everything you see and hear at Vishkar you report back to me. Oh, and you take my 'suggestions' into account when you meet with your coworkers. The first one being 'don't touch the outback or Dorado anymore'."

"I'll lose my job." He set the photo down on the desk. "You don't understand, this is – Vishkar is my whole life. This is all I've been trained to do since I was ten years old. I don't have any other options."

"Not my problem." The hacker adjusted their mask a bit. "And besides, you expect people to take pity on your sad little life when you were more than happy to kill all those Junkers and those civilians in Calado?"

"I do what I have to do," he muttered.

"Same here." They reached off-screen. When they returned to the center of the screen, Sanjay gritted his teeth. The hacker had his little girl, Prisha, gripped by the arm. Her eyes were blank and unfocused, and she was limp in the hacker's grasp.

"You let her go!" Sanjay leapt out of his chair. "I'll kill you!"

"Oh relax, Sanjay. I'm not going to hurt her. Unless you give me a reason to."

Sanjay clenched his fists. "Okay. Okay. I'll do what you want. Just…don't hurt them."

The hacker turned Prisha around. Her back panel was unscrewed and hanging wide open. With a gentle pat the hacker closed it up and switched her on. Her eyes glowed to life, then immediately latched on to Sanjay. "Daddy?"

"Don't worry, baby. Daddy'll keep you safe." His teeth ground together, but he tried his hardest to appear neutral. "What did you do to her?"

"Oh, nothing! She and I just had some time to bond, that's all." The hacker chuckled. "She's going to make sure you follow through with our agreement."

Sanjay struggled to quell the shaking of his hands. "You altered her programming."

"No shit."

He picked the photograph back up, unable to bear the sight of his little girl in the hands of the terrorist before him. "Vishkar gave them to me seven years ago. A reward for my loyalty to the company." He inhaled slowly, the palm of his hand leaving a residual layer of sweat on the photo frame. "If I get caught giving you Vishkar's information, I'll lose my job…and I'll lose them."

"That's why you won't let yourself get caught."

He nodded. "All right. All right. Fine." Finally working up the nerve to meet the hacker's eye again, he said, "so you want Vishkar to stay out of the outback…and Dorado."

"Among other things."

"So you're allied with the Junkers?"

"I have groups of allies all over the world. The Junkers are just one of them."

Sanjay stared at the hacker for a long time. Their mask revealed nothing, no emotion, no sign of weakness. "Okay," he said. "All right. I'll report everything to you. I swear I will."

"Good boy." The hacker reached over and laid a gloved hand on Prisha's shoulder. "In the meantime she and I are gonna hang out for a while."

"Don't you lay a hand on–"

"¡Hasta luego!" The hacker disconnected, leaving nothing but a screen full of static to illuminate the office.

Sanjay slammed his fist on the desk. I thought just sending them away would be enough. He stole one last glance at the picture of his family, now covered in fingerprints and sweat. The only thing he had in this entire world. What Vishkar had given him…he could not allow it to be taken away now.

Maybe this is how Hana felt when we took her away from the other Junkers. He tried to push that thought away, but it lingered within him.

Steadying his hands, he powered up his computer and entered the password to access the company's intranet. His eyes scanned every bit of information he could find – no longer for his own use or benefit. Not even for the benefit of that hacker asshole or the Junkers. His family was in danger. Human or not, their lives meant everything to him. They were all he had to care about in this sick, sad world.

He opened the folder for the outback development, locked behind a password known only by himself and the other high-level Architechs, and a fingerprint scan. With a steadying breath, he began to download as much information as he could access.

Hana woke up to Ana nudging her. She was apparently curled up on the bed with a blanket over her, but she had no memory of taking Ana's blanket for her own use. Sitting up, she rubbed her eyes and focused on Ana standing over her.

"You nodded off."

"Oh. Sorry. I'm still really exhausted…"

"No, no, it's all right. I just wanted to let you know that I'm leaving."

That snapped Hana wide awake. "You're leaving? Now?"

"It will be easier traveling before the sun rises. Less risk of overheating."

Her rifle was slung over her shoulder and her hood was up, concealing her long white hair underneath.

"Can't Satya teleport you wherever you're going?"

Ana shook her head. "I'd like to make the trip on my own. Don't worry. I'll be fine."

Hana wasn't sure what to say beyond that. Ana didn't seem certain either, for she instead just headed for the door. Hana followed her, but they both paused at the sound of faint voices elsewhere in the makeshift house. She glanced out the window – it was still pitch black outside. She knew Boss didn't have to sleep, but was Satya really awake, too?

Hana nudged the door open. Sure enough, the voices belonged to Satya and Boss. Yeah, I know that feeling. Boss' voice drifted through the doorway. The Junkers here are actually – I mean, it sounds pathetic, but they're the first people I've ever really considered friends.

I don't find it pathetic. Even prior to Vishkar recruiting me I did not have much in the way of a social life. I…was not the easiest of children to deal with.

So when did you realize you were autistic, anyway? I mean, if that's not too personal to ask–

Not too personal. I think Vishkar suspected it immediately, but I was not formally diagnosed until I was twelve years old. And it made so much sense! The psychologist I met with broke it to me as if it were some terrible news, but I could not have been happier to finally possess an explanation for the recurring dissonance between myself and those around me.

That makes sense. Unfortunately for me I was just a loser. She laughed, but Satya tutted at her.

You have survived a grave ordeal – multiple ordeals, really. I should hardly think you qualify as a 'loser'.

Ha, thanks, but… Boss turned away and grinned. In turning she caught sight of Hana peeking through the doorway. "Oh man, I'm sorry." Her voice rose in volume to better reach Hana. "Did we wake you guys up?"

"No." Hana emerged from Ana's bedroom to find Boss and Satya settled in on a sofa that definitely wasn't there before, Boss turned sideways with her legs crossed, facing Satya. They seemed quite settled in. "Have you two been up all night?"

"I cannot sleep in unfamiliar environments," Satya replied. "Eventually I will tire enough to do so, but for now I am wide awake."

"We've just been chatting all night. I was telling her about the prison, and a little about my life before that."

"I find your situation utterly fascinating." Satya studied Boss with clear curiosity in her eyes. "Caught between life and death – how do you feel about that? Does it affect your spiritual beliefs at all? I'd imagine it must."

Boss shrugged. "I'm not a hugely religious person, but I believe in some kind of God out there. The way I came to terms with it was by telling myself that there must be some reason I'm still here. Like, something I was meant to do."

Hana coughed. Boss broke out into a grin. "That is not what I meant…although, that too." She rested an elbow on the sofa's armrest and leaned back. "Yeah, God kept me on this earth so I could have sex with Hana Song. The universe's greatest wingman."

Hana wanted to join them on the sofa, but Ana's lingering presence behind her made her hesitate. Upon returning her attention to Ana, however, she found the old woman bore the slightest hint of a smile on her lips. She remembered then Ana's words from the night before – she wanted Hana to remain and be happy with Boss and Satya. Even if she may not have trusted them entirely, she trusted them enough.

Hana exchanged a long look with Ana, who refused to show any other emotion she may have been experiencing. "I think I'll be okay here," Hana said.

"I think so, too."

"So are you leaving now?" Boss asked.

"Wait, who's leaving?" Concern chilled Satya's voice.

"I am." Ana adjusted the rifle on her back. "And I am entrusting you with the lives of these two girls." She gestured to Hana and Boss. "Should something happen to either of them while under your supervision, you will have to answer to me about it." Hana could tell Ana was just messing around, but Satya did not take it that way.

"Of course. That is why I am still here in the first place. I am looking after the Junkers."

Ana closed the gap between them and pushed into Satya's personal space. "Don't make me regret this."

"You have nothing to worry about, I assure you." Satya took a step back from Ana, holding her hands up a bit defensively. "They will not come to harm under my guardianship."

Ana narrowed her visible eye at Satya, but backed off of her. Satya breathed a visible sigh of relief.

Hana followed Ana to the door as she headed out. "Say hi to Fareeha for me," she said. "I mean, she won't know who I am, so tell her who I am and then tell her I said hi?"

Ana chuckled. "Of course." She paused just outside the house. The sky was a deep purple, indicating that the sun was just beginning to rise. After gazing out over the horizon Ana turned back to Hana and Boss. Hana decided at the last second to try for one last hug. Ana was receptive to it, and in fact actually hugged her for quite a bit longer than Hana would have expected. Then she even hugged Boss, who seemed completely stunned by the act.

"You girls be good, all right?" Ana waggled a finger at them. "Don't burden Satya with more than she can handle."

"Jeez, Ana, we're adults." Hana rolled her eyes and huffed in a mocking fashion. "We won't get into any trouble."

"Oh, of course." Ana shook her head and smiled a little. "How could I be so foolish?"

Hana was happy for the banter – it helped to distract her from the reality that someone she had spent months growing a close bond with was now willingly walking out of her life, possibly forever. As soon as Ana started off, however, those feelings hit her like a truck. Thankfully Boss grabbed her up in her arms and whispered reassurances, preventing her from sinking too deep into the miserable thoughts in her head. She walked Hana away from the door, murmuring gently to her, "C'mon, let's find something to do. There's plenty of stuff to do around here."

Hana drew in a deep breath. "Okay."

It could be worse, she reminded herself as Boss led her around the small house making pointless commentary about everything they passed. Ana, Junkrat, and Roadhog all could have died at Vishkar. They were on the chopping block and would have died, if not for the two women she was with now. Boss may have been rough around the edges, but her heart was soft and full of love to give. Satya had a variety of issues, but when it came down to it she put everything she knew on the line to protect a girl she only just barely knew.

Maybe Ana was right. Maybe they could make a half-decent makeshift family for themselves.

"Oh my God, you know what we need?" Boss interrupted her thoughts with her exclamation. "A pet! But like, a cool, badass pet…maybe we can tame a dingo or something."

"I would like to observe some of the local wildlife," Satya said. "Perhaps not as pets, but…"

Hana listened quietly as they exchanged grandiose ideas, both obviously trying to distract from the absence of half the Junkers. It would never be the same, but maybe it didn't have to be. After all, family was what you made it, right?

She swallowed down the lump in her throat and mustered what could perhaps be considered a smile. I'll finally have a real home for once. Some peace and quiet, some people who will protect me if anything bad happens.

It might not last forever, but it was something she could cling to in the present moment. That was the most she could ask for anymore. In fact, she thought as Boss grabbed her hand and continued gushing her big ideas for their little trio, maybe it was a little more than that. Maybe it was even better than what she'd had before.

The questionable smile on her face grew unmistakable. Yeah, things were going to be all right.

A/N: Here we are, at the end of the story! The epilogue will be uploaded next weekend. We'll see how well Hana's getting along with her new family...and they may find time to get into a few more shenanigans before their tale is all told. :P

Thank you so much for sticking with me through this story, my official Longest Fanfic Ever! I'm super proud of it and I'm a little sad it's gonna be over next week. :') I've read and appreciated every review as well, thanks for taking the time to write a little something and let me know people are reading eagerly along. Hope you all enjoyed reading Post-Apocalypse Punk as much as I enjoyed writing it!

Havoka