The sky was covered by white haze.
'...The blizzard is starting again.'
At that moment, Quentin cautiously asked:
"Captain... I am sorry, but what exactly is happening?"
He gave the gallant healer a short glance.
"We're leaving."
Both his subordinates seemed startled.
"Leaving? Right now? But... why?"
Sunny lingered with the answer.
"Because we have orders to keep the VIP alive."
That seemed to make them stop asking questions.
A minute passed, then another. His bloodstream was full of adrenaline, as though he was in the middle of a battle. Time crawled at a snail's pace, and for some reason, Sunny felt as though he was locked inside a pillory, waiting for the guillotine's blade to come down.
'Walk faster, damn it!"
His instincts were screaming that they had to leave LO49, now.
Finally, two figures appeared from the milky-white haze. Professor Obel was walking stiffly, with a troubled face. Beth was both supporting him and carrying a small bag.
The old man stopped near Sunny and looked at him with a solemn expression. He hesitated to speak.
"Young man... I hear that you will be taking us away now."
Sunny nodded.
"Yes, Professor. Get inside, please. Hurry. I'll explain later."
They entered the Rhino and closed the hatch. While Beth was looking around with subdued curiosity, Luster sent the heavy vehicle moving.
The sentries had already been informed by Verne, so they opened the gate and allowed the Irregulars to drive through them.
...Until the last second, Sunny was certain that something would go horribly wrong. But, somehow, it didn't.
The Rhino drove away from the fortress, passed by the fleet of transports parked outside, and disappeared into the white wall of the blizzard. Only when the lights of the facility vanished from view did Sunny feel an almost overwhelming sense of relief.
He leaned... no, almost crashed... on the bulkhead behind him and let out a trembling breath.
'We made it. We made it in time...'
Although there were many confused and concerned gazes aimed at him, Sunny remained silent. Slowly, the distance between the Rhino and the Lunar Observatory Forty-Nine grew larger and larger. A kilometer, then another... then a dozen.
They were leaving it behind.
***
Some time later, when the heavy vehicle traversed approximately half the length of the coastal plain separating the ocean shore from the mountains, Sunny commanded Luster to stop and hide the Rhino in the wreckage of a massive war machine left behind from the Dark Times.
He closed his eyes and concentrated for a few minutes. His shadows made sure that there were no Nightmare Creatures laying around in wait.
After that, Sunny inhaled deeply.
"The Call is not too strong here. It should be condition green, so... congratulations, guys. You can finally rest."
Despite their unease and doubts, his soldiers reacted to that statement with visible excitement. They, too, were on the verge of collapse from fatigue and exhaustion.
"Luster, Kim, and Dorn. You guys sleep first. The other three, keep watch and take care of our guests."
They nodded, already knowing their roles.
"Yes, sir! But... uh... Captain, what about you?"
Sunny looked at Belle with a dark expression.
"...I have something to do."
He headed for the exit hatch. Beth tried to get in his way with a question, but he simply looked at her, and the young woman suddenly backed away.
Exiting the Rhino, Sunny walked into the blizzard, and then summoned the Nightmare. His loyal steed rose from the shadows, its eyes burning with dreadful crimson flames. Jumping into the saddle, Sunny sent it galloping through the snow.
He left one shadow to stand guard near the Rhino, of course.
By now, the range at which he could control it was past thirteen kilometers. That was more or less half the current distance between the Rhino and LO49.
He flew back south, summoning the closed featureless helmet of the Undying Chain to protect himself from the cutting wind. His shadow sense spread outward, replacing sight that was useless in the furious snowstorm.
Stopping at the very edge of Shadow Control's range, Sunny remained in the saddle, and sent another shadow forward. It slid south with tremendous speed, and eventually reached the walls of the facility.
There were formidable turrets on them, powerful spotlights flooding the immediate vicinity of the fortress with light, snowflakes dancing in the wide beams. The gates that the Rhino had left no more than an hour ago were tightly shut. A fleet of transport vehicles was parked in front of it, covered in snow, their initial purpose long forgotten.
The blizzard obscured the world, and for a moment - just like when he had first arrived - Sunny felt a pang of fear. It was as though the whole facility was empty, with only ghosts populating its streets.
...Only, this time, his fear came true.
There was no one standing watch on the walls. No soldiers patrolled the deserted streets. The buildings stood empty, with screens still showing recordings of entertainment programs, food laying on the plates, and coffee growing cold in the mugs.
But there were no people.
There were no scientists in the research laboratory, and no officers in the security center. The feed of the functioning security cameras showed no movement throughout the whole settlement.
The doors of the living quarters where the civilians had been confined were still locked. but there was no one inside. There were no signs of struggle, and no fresh footprints in the snow covering the ground outside.
Everything was just...... still.
Fourteen hundred people had disappeared into thin air. They seemed to have simply vanished. like they had never existed at all.
...Many kilometers away, Sunny looked at the southern wall of the fortress through the eyes of his shadows. He felt compelled to send the shadow forward, and gaze at the dark ocean once more.
But in the end. with a shiver, he decided against it.
Soon, the shadow returned. Wrapping it around his body, Sunny commanded Nightmare to turn around, and rode into the blizzard without looking back.
Maybe he did not want to......
And maybe he simply did not dare.