Chapter 77: 2.46

Leaning forward against the wall I continued to hurl the food I'd forced down my throat moments earlier. All day I'd wandered the civillian grounds in a stupor, to be harshly reminded by System I was starving the foetus of nutrients by not eating.

"Han, there you are," Will jogged up to me, instantly pulling my hair out my face as I wretched again, struggling to bring up the last of the bile.

"I thought your morning sickness was over?" he chuckled awkwardly, stroking my back, "Ivy's barely lasted two weeks."

Wiping my mouth on my sleeve I struggled to stand up straight, feeling his hands firmly holding me up. Without his grip, I'd fall to the ground. My knees were weak and trembling.

"That bad?" He lifted me up like a child, making me wrap my arms and legs around him and use his shoulder as a pillow. "Get some sleep, I'll get you to bed."

I jerked and whimpered at the idea of going back into bed with that weird version of Alex.

"C-can I stay with you?" I squeezed him tighter, scared he'd let me go, push me away, after all, he'd be in the barracks with his army buddies no room for me.

"Of course Han, always," his hand ran up and down my back soothingly as I let my fatigue win over and passed out asleep.

When I woke again I noticed I had been changed out of my tracksuit into a baggy nightie and was under masculine-smelling covers.

"Did you see her wrists?" Will growled from the other side of the door.

"Calm down, you'll do her no good acting like this," Ty's voice blissfully accompanied him, easing my anxiety from Will's rage-filled words.

The door clicked as it opened, I shut my eyes, subconsciously holding my breath, trying to pretend to be asleep, fearing seeing the look in Will's eyes as he entered.

"Han," he called out, then nudged my shoulder roughly. I jerked away and sat up, glaring at him. He could have at least pretended not to know I was awake.

"I hear you've had a rough day?" Ty sat on the bed, grabbing my chin to tilt my face to face him, the other poked at the skin around my eyes. I felt his System trying to reach out to mine and accepted it.

"Well you and baby are both fine, just need food and rest," Ty pulled back, placing his hands on his knees.

"Fine," Will said through a clenched jaw and gritted teeth, "You think with her looking like that she is fine."

Ty held up a finger to shush him, "why don't you let me and Hannah catch up?"

Will, getting the hint, excused himself. As soon as the door clicked shut Ty pulled me into an awkwardly angled embrace, "little Luna Bug just what have you been getting up to?"

"I-I," I couldn't keep myself together, instead I let loose, wailing into his chest after adjusting myself to comfortably press against his strong and sturdy chest.

Alex's change in behaviour had completely overwhelmed my already fragile mental state.

"It's alright Luna bug, I got you," his hands reassuringly ran up and down my back, soothing my cries.

"I don't get it," I shook my head, eyes stinging and still dripping tears, "what changed? What did I do wrong? Why is he?"

"Noah or Alex?" Ty asked, rubbing his rough sleeve to dry my cheeks.

"A-Alex," I heaved out a heavy sigh, still feeling disbelief at my words.

"Alex?" Ty sounded just as confused as I was.

Ty pulled a ceramic pot from nowhere and began rubbing its soothing cooling cream around my wrists.

"I think it's time we leave to find Lex," he wiped his hands on a damp cloth and then chucked it over his shoulder to disappear. Using our dimensional space made us look like magicians.

"I agree," I was a bit surprised at my own words. The thought of leaving Will and Holly haunted me, but I needed to safely deliver Izzy far, far away from that madman. Give her the life she deserved, if that was even possible in this hell hole.

Unless he finds a miracle that man will die eventually anyway, then, maybe then, I could return with her.

"Alright then, pop these in your space, at dawn dress your part, and meet me in the back of the truck by the west exit."

I nodded, putting the army fatigues away, then rolled over on the bed, still hooked up to an IV of calorie-filled fluids.

It was thanks to System that I woke up just in time, finding the room empty and a letter on the bedside table.

Realising I was running late with the creeping light through the window, I tossed it inside my space and dressed obeying Ty's instructions. I ran over to find the truck parked by the exit. Soldiers surrounded it, talking amongst themselves.

Ty's large hand gripped my shoulder suddenly, and he leaned to whisper into my ear, "don't worry you don't look yourself right now, just climb on with me."

I glanced up to see that his build was the same, but now his hair was both darker and longer and his features seemed sharper. His hands pulled my hair up into a high ponytail, confusing me as I was sure my hair also felt longer, heavier.

No one batted an eye as we climbed to sit on one of the benches in the back. In time the noise quietened as the people all climbed inside the large truck to sit. The last few passengers caught me off guard, making me grip tightly onto Ty's fist.

"Since when have you two been dating," a man across us laughed, raising his brows.

"Last night," Ty sternly replied, his voice different.

I went to open my mouth, then halted, feeling Noah's gaze. Could he tell it was me?

Victoria sat next to him, tugging on his arm to lean in and say something. He nodded, making her laugh. He playfully shoved her, his attention back to his subordinates.

"Captain," the bloke who'd spoken to us called out, "Tyler and Nat are dating."

The team broke out in wolf whistles, jokes, and laughter as they continued to mock me for my unusually bashful behaviour and praised Tyler for catching the team's belle.

It appeared Ty had somehow altered us to look like two members of the squad. If so, where were the real Tyler and Natalie?

I hid behind Ty's big frame, leaning into the corner of the truck, glancing up to the small window to see the landscape change into a barren wilderness. We had left the base.