Eric listened to Jimmy's side of things, then leaned back in his chair, breathing out and letting out a faintly audible sigh as he stared at the ceiling. He pondered over his original plan, which was to find and retrieve the Nebulux himself, while simultaneously initiating a confidential bargain with NEXUS. A bargain only he knew the specifics of.

But deep down, Jimmy's words were undeniably true. If he ended the mission now, he would still get to see his daughter without any further hassle, and Jimmy would not experience any more trauma that would most likely break him further. The cost, however, was a fifty percent chance they might be jailed for what happened at ATLAS. Eric felt Jimmy had truly gone through too much, and perhaps it was time it came to an end.

"Alright, fine. I guess this is the end of the line then," Eric finally spoke up after a short silent moment, bringing his face back to Jimmy and holding a soft smile.

Happy to hear an agreeing response, Jimmy nodded back with a relieved smile on his face before turning the other way and walking toward Yelena.

"I'm sorry. I'm sorry I let you down but —" Jimmy said to Yelena, his head bowed down, unable to look at her face.

The words hung in the air, unfinished, swallowed by the sound of boots on stone. Yelena didn't stop, didn't flinch. She just walked past him as if she hadn't heard a thing, her movements sharp and economical, betraying no emotion.

Jimmy stood frozen, arms half raised, the breath caught in his throat. The sting of silence settled heavier than any reprimand. His mouth stayed open for a second longer before it closed slowly, as if the rest of the apology might still claw its way out. But it didn't.

His hands curled into fists at his sides, not in defiance, but to hold in the tremble that returned whenever he paused.

Then, behind him, Yelena's voice broke the silence, cutting through the vast quiet of the operations room.

"Save the apology for later. You're doing the right thing."

The words hit him like a jolt, soft but sharp, echoing down the room.

He turned slightly, instinctively, but Yelena was already walking away, still not looking back, still unreadable. For a moment, he couldn't move. Couldn't think. He just stood there, staring after the woman who had scolded him but hadn't condemned him either.

After a while, he slowly began to walk toward the HyperComms section, a solemn look on his face as he moved. A few footsteps forward, he got to the section and stood silently in front of a towering black supercomputer, unable to make the next action as he stood conflicted. Yelena was a few paces away, completely disregarding him and continuing onward with her own agenda.

After a long while of silence, he finally began to drag some symbols into a pattern on the console, then took a headset like device from the HyperComm, hanging it on both his ears before taking a seat. He sat silently still for a few seconds, his head bowed, his arms weightlessly leaning on his laps as he leaned forward.

And then a voice came cracking through the device.

"Hello, who's this?"

Jimmy kept silent and felt emotional at the sound of the voice, his eyes almost watering as he bowed and stared at the ground.

"Hal?" Jimmy finally broke the silence, his voice almost unstable as he spoke the name.

"Jimmy?!... Is that you, Jimmy?!!!" The voice said loudly at the recognition of a familiar voice. The voice from the other side belonged to Hal Farrah, his best friend.

"Yeah, it's me," Jimmy replied, happy to hear the voice of his friend after such a long time as tears silently fell down his face, a relieved smile breaking through his distress.

"Where the hell have you been, dude? You've been gone for weeks! There were reports you were chased by security and then left the planet!" Hal's voice roared loudly through the call, his tone a mix of happiness and worried frustration.

"Yeah, that's what happened," Jimmy replied, taking in his friend's voice as he held a smile and placed his palm on his face, wiping away his tears.

"So? Are you alright... where are you?" Hal said, his voice loud and clear but sounding very worrisome.

"I'm alright, Hal, thanks. Can't really tell you much, but I'll be heading back to ATLAS real soon," Jimmy replied, his voice now relaxed and relieved as he wiped the tears off his face.

"This sounds crazy, but I think I might be jailed when I return," Jimmy giggled softly, finding his own words to be partly funny as he spoke.

"Why? For taking a ship and flying off the planet?" Hal asked, his tone confused but laced with sarcasm.

"Obviously," Jimmy replied, his giggling drawing longer for a while as a sense of warmth and comfort brewed within him. This was the very first time in a while he truly felt this way, happy, relaxed, and communicative. Hearing the voice of his friend boosted his warmth further.

"Well, that's one task off your bucket list," Hal spoke, his voice crackling with disbelief through the line.

"By the way, how the hell did you fly a spaceship? You never told me you took flying classes." Hal added, the awe in his voice impossible to miss, half a joke, half genuine amazement.

The corner of Jimmy's mouth tugged into a grin. He leaned back, letting the weight of what just happened settle in.

"Actually, it's three tasks off my bucket list. Getting jailed, a me time in a spaceship, and exploring space." There was a small pause, like he was savoring the moment, then he added with a soft chuckle

"And for the record, I didn't pilot the ship, Eric did."

"Eric? The genius guy you gave me a dirty slap for?" Hal replied, a sarcastic and playful tone in his voice as he brought back an event from the past, reminding Jimmy.

"Haha... yeah, him. Why do you even still remember that? Thought I already apologized," Jimmy chuckled, surprised his friend would bring up such a petty past event.

"Yeah, you did, but you never got me those things you promised. So apology not fully accepted," Hal's voice came through, sounding slightly annoyed but still playful.

Jimmy let out a soft, long laugh, one he hadn't experienced in quite a while. In that moment, everything else faded from his mind, his head was clear and calm. For a while, it made him forget what he had gone through up until now.

Hal, on the other end, went silent and admired his friend's voice and laugh, which he hadn't heard for days.

"Glad to hear your voice again, Jimmy, it's been so long," Hal broke the silence, his voice calm and soft.

Jimmy calmly transitioned from a laughter to a giggle, trying to catch his breath a little. "It's only been three weeks, Hal."

"One point eight million seconds is a very... very long time, dummy!" Hal replied, also chuckling as he spoke.

"Yeah, yeah it is," Jimmy replied, finally calm.

"At least you're getting to experience what you've always wanted, exploring and not being cooped up in a lab. That was exactly what you said when we arrived at ATLAS, if I remember correctly." Hal spoke.

Jimmy, hearing him, went calm and silent for a bit, his head reviewing what he said and how he viewed exploration. He leaned forward and bowed his head once again.

"Well, it's not what I imagined it to be," Jimmy replied, his tone and facial expression transitioning into a less excited one.

"We've only been living peacefully and carefree, opportuned to dream big, because there are boundaries, rules, systems to put things in order."

"But out here in the outside world, beyond what we know or see, where there are no rules, no boundaries, no order...." He paused, not for effect, but because it hurt to say the rest.

"It's a constant fight for survival, Hal," he added, the sadness in his voice said more than his eyes ever could. He felt he wasn't just explaining it, he was reliving it.

There was a pause, just long enough to be mistaken for silence. Then came Hal's voice, light and easy on the other end of the line.

"I get what you mean," Hal replied.

Jimmy shook his head slowly. His lips barely moved as he replied.

"No, you don't. Trust me when I say this. You don't," Jimmy responded, straightening slightly, not to stretch but to breathe. To speak.

"I've seen things, Hal, experienced things, done things and..." Jimmy paused, The silence wasn't for drama. It was something else. Like he'd walked into a dark room in his mind and forgot how to leave.

"If you knew what I've done, what I did, you'd hate me for it."

There was another beat of silence before Hal spoke again, voice still casual, trying to pull Jimmy back from wherever his mind had gone.

"Fine, fine, but at least you're coming back, right? It'll be fine. And whatever's happening, whatever's bothering you... It'll all stop." Hal replied, feeling the bitterness in Jimmy's tone, trying his best to console him.

"Yeah, I hope so," Jimmy's reply came softer now, as if he didn't believe the words even as he said them.

On the other end, Hal suddenly groaned. "Listen, I gotta bounce. Your crush just set the lab on fire again. That's the seventh time this week. I've gotta put it out before the whole building comes down." Hal spoke, his voice calm and easygoing.

"Funny Kate. Alright then, see you soon," Jimmy replied, letting out the ghost of a chuckle before finally ending the call and taking off the devices from his ears, reminiscing in silence once again.

All of a sudden, a hand landed gracefully on his shoulder, causing him to slowly lift himself upright, discovering Eric right beside him.

"Like she said, you're doing the right thing. Hurts to bloody admit it, but... I'm glad our paths crossed." Eric said softly to Jimmy, a smile of consolation on his face.

Jimmy raised his head to face Eric and nodded softly in response before turning away gently.

"One last thing, you might wanna be more careful next time. Whole room heard that call."

Eric added, his voice playful and sarcastic as he looked at Jimmy with a mischievous smile.

Stunned, Jimmy raised his head up, giving Eric a look of pure shock. He realized he had completely forgotten to set the call as private, causing the entire conversation to be openly broadcasted throughout the room, and he couldn't hear the broadcast because of the headset he had hanging on his ears.

"Yep, heard the whole damn thing," Eric spoke, his eyes and expression twinkling with amusement.

"Tell me about this crush of yours, Kate was it?. hmmmmmmm." He grinned wide, leaning in like he was about to hear the best gossip of the year, wiggling his eyebrows and bumping Jimmy's shoulder with exaggerated curiosity.

Jimmy blinked, caught completely off guard, then scrunched his face, narrowing his eyes like he'd just been accused of treason.

"Would you shut up and get the hell away from me!" Jimmy roared, almost angered by Eric ruining the moment for him but undeniably shy and nervous. If anything, his reaction gave him away more than anything else.

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