Chapter 71: The Return
The treeline swallowed the last of the daylight. Rosa moved through it with the capacitor bank slung over her good shoulder, her boots finding the familiar dips in the path even as her vision blurred at the edges. The ache in her arm had sharpened from a dull throb to a bright, insistent burn that pulsed with every step. She did not stop. She could not stop.
The bank was heavier than she remembered. Or maybe she was lighter, hollowed out by the run, by the shot, by the way the younger survivor had looked at her before he turned and walked away with his dead friend in his arms. She had let him go. She had to let him go.
Anderson Hall's reinforced door appeared through the tangle of bare branches, the solar panels on the roof catching the last of the dying light. Rosa pushed through, her shoulder slamming against the wood, and the door gave way with its familiar groan.
The common room exploded into motion.
Jayden was on her feet first, her pixie cut a dark blur as she crossed the room. "Rosa. Shit. I'm sorry. I didn't mean to fire. I just saw him line up on you and I—"
Rosa waved her off with her good hand, the gesture costing her more than she wanted to show. "Later, Jayden."
Jason reached her before anyone else could. His hands found the capacitor bank, easing the strap from her shoulder, and she let him take it, the sudden absence of weight making her sway. His hazel eyes scanned her face, her arm, the dried blood on her wrist.
"Is that blood?"
"Not mine." She looked down at her arm. The sling was gone, lost somewhere on the trail. The ache in her arm had gone from sharp to almost numb, which was worse. "Mostly not mine."
Roy crossed the room before he knew he was moving. The others blurred past him, Jayden's apologies still tumbling through the air, Ally's voice rising somewhere behind them. He saw only Rosa, the way her good hand pressed against the doorframe, the way her knees locked to keep her standing.
He reached her in four strides. His hand found her shoulder, the one that wasn't broken, and he felt the tremor running through her.
"Hey," he said, and his voice came out steadier than he felt. "Hey. I've got you."
Her eyes found his face, and for a moment she just looked at him. Full height. Looking down at her instead of up from her collar. Something shifted in her expression, relief and exhaustion and maybe a question she didn't know how to ask.
"You're big," she said.
A laugh cracked out of him, sharp and surprised. "Yeah. I know. We’ve established that several times in the last two or three weeks since Lee figured out how to use the machine to grow me back."
"Yeah, well, figured it couldn't hurt to remind you again." Rosa grumbled, but leaned into his offered hold.
Roy's arms came around her, careful of the broken one, and she let her forehead drop against his chest. The tremor in her shoulders spread through him. He could feel her pulse, fast and thready, and the damp of sweat on the back of her neck.
"You're a mess," he said softly, his chin resting on the top of her head.
"Rude."
"Accurate."
She huffed something that might have been a laugh. Around them the common room had gone quiet, the others giving them a wide berth. Jason set the capacitor bank on the workbench with a heavy clunk and turned back, his arms crossed, his face doing something complicated.
Jayden hovered at the edge of the group, her hands opening and closing at her sides. "I should have waited for your signal. I know that."
Rosa didn't lift her head from Roy's chest. "You killed the rifleman. He was a second from putting a round in my skull."
"I still—"
"You still saved my life." Rosa's voice came out muffled. "We can argue about it after I've sat down for five minutes."
Roy guided her toward the couch. She'd never leaned on him like this, not even when her arm was at its worst. The weight of her was a comfort in a way he didn't have words for. He helped her settle among the cushions and crouched in front of her, his hands resting on her knees.
Her eyes were red-rimmed. Dirt streaked one cheek. A scratch had opened along her jaw, blood dried dark against her skin.
He thumbed at the scratch, gentle. "What the hell happened out there?"
She told him, her voice flat and distant. The rail yard. The younger one carrying the bank, the rifleman covering him. Jayden's shot. The sound it had made, a wet crack that had echoed off the boxcars. She'd let the kid go because what else was there to do. He was just a carrier, barely older than a student, and he'd been holding his friend's hand when he'd walked away.
Roy listened. He didn't interrupt. He kept his hands on her knees, grounding her, and when she finished, he said, "You did the right thing."
"Did I?"
"You came home. With the bank." He squeezed her knee. "That was the mission."
She looked at him, something raw in her eyes. "You're really back." Her hand lifted, hesitant, and touched his face. Her palm was callused, still trembling. "I keep expecting to look down and see you at my collar."
"I'm not going anywhere." He turned his head to press a kiss against her palm. "And I'm not small anymore. Not this time."
"Promise?"
"I promise."
Jason cleared his throat from somewhere behind them. "I hate to break this up, but the capacitor bank is still sitting on the workbench and Lee is going to vibrate out of his skin if we don't tell him it's here."
Roy laughed, rough, and helped Rosa to her feet. She swayed once, caught herself on his arm, and he wrapped hers around her waist without asking.
"Come on," he said. "Let's get you to the kitchen. You're eating something even if I have to hold the spoon for you."
She grumbled, but she let him steer her. Their shadows stretched long across the peeling linoleum, hers tilting into his, and for the first time in weeks, the common room felt like it had enough air in it.