Chapter Text
Five is curled up in the chair next to him, so still Sam might think she’s asleep, except the mug of tea in her hand is perfectly level. Sam refocuses on the camera images in front of him, yup, Runner 4 is still on track to hit the drug store, her way miraculously clear of zoms. Some supply runs do go exactly as planned.
He inches closer to the not-sleeping Five. He wishes she’d get some actual rest; she’s more tired than Maxine, Paula and himself these days, and they had a baby keeping them up. She’s worried, they all are about everyone they left behind in Abel. But her insomnia hadn’t started when she arrived at Noah Base; this was something new. Five tossed and turned every night this week. And last night, he’d woken up twice to find her side of the bed completely empty. It wasn’t until hours later that he felt the mattress gently decompressing beside him, signaling her return.
Suddenly, Five speaks, eyes remaining closed. “If you’re going to say something Sam, just say it. You’ve been hovering for the last five minutes.”
How are you? He wants to say. What do you think about on your nighttime walks when you should be sleeping beside me?
Sam glances back to the screen where Jody is just entering the drug store. Beside him, Five’s eyes blink open, watching him expectingly.
“I watch you a lot, Five.” Sam says, mentally cringing as the words left his mouth. Something about Five unbalances him, causing his words to take a life of their own. Why can’t he just ask her how she is?
“That makes you sound like a hide-in-the-bushes stalker, Sam.” Five wrinkles her nose, and then gently kisses his cheek as if to tell him she didn’t really mean it.
“But it’s true. I do watch you on cams a lot. But in a non-stalker, just doing my job sort of way?”
Five’s expression grows pensive. “Is that really what you think? That watching is all you do?” Sam nods. He’s known a long time who the real hero is among them.
“I think I prefer the phrase ‘look out for me?’ You’re in my ear, telling me about the threats. Saved my life a hundred times over,” She says, starting at him seriously, all traces of teasing gone. “You’re not just watching Sam, we’re a team.”
“Are we, though? A team?” Sam asks. Five winces, and he softens his tone, reminding himself that he’s concerned, not accusing Five of anything. “Something’s bothering you, Five. You’re not sleeping. You haven’t been acting yourself when you’re awake either- I’ve noticed your zoning out of conversations. I don’t understand it, but I want to.”
Her face goes white. Was it that bad? She stands up, and he opens his arms, but she reaches past him to the microphone.
“Jody," Five says urgently. "There’s a pack of six, no sorry, eight zombies to your 10 o’ clock. They’re coming up fast on the side entrance to the drug store, and there’s a few shamblers outside the main entrance.”
The next fourteen minutes are a blur of activity. Sam directs Jody to the cargo loading dock behind the store where the runner could slip out. Runner Four makes it out easily but hadn’t completely lost the pack from the drug store and is in danger of picking up some to the west. Sam refuses to take his eyes off the cams; he’s normally so focused with runners in the field, except when he’s concerned about Five. Five stays by his side, gripping his hand tightly while offering words of encouragement to the anxious Jody.
When Jody finally stumbles back into Noah base's lift, Five lets his hand fall back on the desk.
“I should go help her get the supplies in and make sure she’s okay.”
“Five. Five, wait, how are you…”
But she is gone. As usual, Five only worried about others, and Sam had no idea what was going on with her.
Five has a rest break this afternoon. Sam could corner her then and make her talk about her feelings for a change. But Janine gets to her first, ordering her to go on a mission to rescue Kefilwe from Abel. It’s urgent, and Janine wants her ready by the lift in five minutes.
He has only a few moments to talk to her in their room as she pulls off her jeans and his orange sweatshirt that was several sizes too big for her, exchanging them for a form-fitting t-shirt and running leggings.
“Five?” Sam says quickly. “I know this is supposed to be a quick in and out to Abel but I--I have a bad feeling about this. Don’t you think there are some holes in this plan? What if the Ministry guards notice you in the transport? And won’t they notice Kefilwe is out of the cells once you rescue her?”
Five’s face changes then. Her jaw was set in that determined expression she wears when she’s about to argue with him, but then all of the sudden, it goes slack. He reaches out an arm to stabilize her and then thinks better of it, Five doesn’t like to be touched when she gets like this. Her eyes dart side to side like she’s looking for something Sam can’t see. Sam thought he knew all of Five’s expressions, but he's never been able to read this one.
“Five? Are you… are you ok?”
Five shakes her head, looking slightly dazed. She keeps her eyes closed. “Sorry, I just… was thinking about how worried I am about Bots. I can’t do nothing while she’s suffering. I’m going to Abel.”
“Five, you can’t go, not like this,” Sam pleads. “You aren’t acting like yourself.”
Five glares, and Sam’s almost glad, for that expression is at least one he understands. “You think I can’t do my job? I’m fine.”
Sam shakes his head. “That’s not what I was implying, and you know it.” He attempts to match Five’s fierce expression, but he’s always had trouble being angry with Five. And he’s not angry now, Sam realizes. Just so worried that she’s about to do something heroically reckless, as usual.
“Please don’t go, Five, “ he says quietly. “I think… this is what I meant when I said that I only watch. I watch you decide to do things that risk your life, and I have no say in them. I’m nervous that you’re going to go into Abel and won’t come back.”
Five’s not glaring anymore, but looks no less determined. He’s already lost this argument. “Then don’t just watch, Sam, “ Five says. “Bring me home to you.”
Five kisses him for a long moment and grabs her headset before heading out. The intensity of the kiss scares him. It wasn’t the quick ‘bye Sam, be home soon’ kiss. This one was deep, as if she was trying to memorize the way his mouth moves under hers. It wasn’t goodbye though; she’d be back. Runner Five always came back.
You’re in my ear, telling me about the threats. Saved my life a hundred times over. You’re not just watching Sam, we’re a team.
At the time, her words had done more than just soothe his nerves, she made him feel important, needed. Runner Five shoots bad guys from the sky with rocket launchers and outruns everything from bandits to V-type zoms. Sam’s job as her ‘look-out’ gives him a small piece of the action, and more importantly, keeps her safe.
Then Five went radio silent into Abel, where he has no camera views one her. All part of the plan.
The transport left Abel without Five or Kefilwe. Definitely not part of the plan.
After some increasingly frantic reconnaissance from Paula, and conversations between Janine and Tom so fast-paced that Sam could barely process, Janine concludes grimly that Five must have been captured by Sigrid.
“You can step away from the coms, Mr. Yao.” Janine says gently. “There is nothing more to be done, not tonight.”
But Sam can’t look away from the empty camera feeds around Abel Township. His voice is not in Five’s ear, and he has no way of looking out for her. He can’t even watch, let alone help her right now. He rounds on Janine.
“So that’s it then? We’re just giving up on her, just like that?”
Janine bristles. “I hardly need remind you, most of Abel’s residents are imprisoned under Mr. Golightly’s control. We have been unable to form a plan to rescue them thus far. Therefore, we do not have one to rescue Runner Five either.”
He slumps in his chair, eyes never leaving the empty camera screen. “Yeah, I—I know.” He’s not mad at Janine, not really. He’s the one who broke his promise to bring Runner Five home.
Janine places a hand on his shoulder. “Just because we do not have a plan at present, does not mean we will never have one. We are simply waiting for the right opportunity to present itself. And then, we will ensure Runner Five returns safely.”
“I know that, but I… I just need to sit here a little while longer. Just In case,” Sam says. And with one last squeeze of his shoulder, Janine leaves him be.