Friday morning hit like one of Naomi's Wave Motion blasts to the skull.
Five-thirty. Still dark. My body screamed about injustice.
I rolled out of bed anyway.
The system timer glowed in the corner of my vision. Five days, eighteen hours. Not great. Not terrible. Sustainable if I kept the extraction network running smoothly.
Big if.
I threw on gym clothes and headed to the east field. Misato's text from last night had been crystal clear.
5:45 AM. Final prep before the gate. Don't be late or you're doing the run in your boxers.
Charming.
The field sat empty when I arrived. Just grass wet with morning dew and ocean wind cutting through my hoodie.
My wrists still had faint marks from the ropes. I tugged my sleeves down.
Footsteps behind me.
"You actually showed up."
