Chapter 6

Roxanne could make out a desperate voice through the thick smoke. "Zoey! Where are you?" It was Callum. He had come back. A sliver of hope rose in Roxanne's chest, but she spotted a tall figure charging through the smoke. He headed unerringly for Zoey, who lay collapsed not far from her. He hastily checked her condition before scooping her up into his arms. "Callum… Moreno…" Roxanne rasped, summoning the last of her strength. Her hand was trembling as she reached out for him. The smoke was too dense. He didn't seem to hear her, or perhaps he had no time to care about her. Without a moment's hesitation, he carried Zoey out of the inferno and vanished beyond the flames. Barely a second after he left, a blazing beam came crashing down with a deafening roar, slamming into the ground just in front of Roxanne. Sparks flew, and with them, the crushing despair snuffed out her final thread of consciousness. … When Roxanne came to, she was in the hospital. The first thing she saw was a pair of cold, unfeeling eyes. Callum sat rigidly in the chair across from her bed, his uniform immaculate, though his expression was dark and terrifying. When he noticed she had regained consciousness, he didn't greet her with concern. Instead, he demanded, "Do you know what you did wrong?" Her head throbbed, her whole body aching. His question left her dumbstruck. "What did I do wrong?" "Are you still trying to deny it?" He abruptly raised his voice, fury blazing in his eyes. "You don't understand a damn thing. So, who gave you the nerve to interfere with the demonstration? Because of your reckless behavior, there was an explosion! "Zoey's gravely injured, and over a dozen students and staff were caught in it. Yet, you still won't admit you're wrong?" Roxanne stared at him in disbelief. It felt as though he had just driven a knife through her heart. "It wasn't me… It was Zoey! She was the one who miscalculated—" "Silence!" he cut her off sharply, his gaze brimming with disgust. "Zoey's brilliant and extremely professional. There's no way she'd make such a rookie mistake! "She told me everything after she came to. She was doing everything right until you barged in and tampered with the equipment, and that's what caused the explosion! Roxanne, I never thought you'd be this ignorant and malicious. "As soon as something goes wrong, you try to shift the blame onto someone else!" "She's lying!" Her whole body trembled with rage, the pain from her wounds flaring up. "You're the one who's lying!" Callum didn't believe a word she said. "The truth is right in front of us. So many people were injured! You're the one who endangered Zoey and all those innocent civilians. This time, even I can't protect you!" He rose to his feet, towering over her, his eyes filled with contempt as though he was looking at a heinous criminal. "Guards!" As soon as his words fell, two soldiers walked in. "Take her away! She's guilty of endangering public safety. Parade her through the streets and put her on penal labor. Carry out the sentence at once!" Roxanne was yanked roughly from the hospital bed, forced into a tattered prison uniform, and thrown onto a military truck. The vehicle crawled through the city, blaring her "crimes" from a loudspeaker. Crowds lined both sides of the road, pointing and jeering. Rotten vegetables, eggs, and even stones were hurled at her. "That's her! She almost blew up the Museum of Science and Technology!" "She's such a vicious woman! I heard she's a soldier's wife, too!" "She's a disgrace to the military!" someone spat. The curses and pelting objects rained down on her like a hailstorm. Huddled in the truck, she had wilted vegetable leaves hanging from her head, warm blood trickling from the cut where a stone had struck her temple. Roxanne kept her eyes shut, biting down hard on her lip, tasting blood yet refusing to let go. The pain in her body was nothing compared to the death of her heart. When the parade of shame ended, she was taken straight to a federal prison camp on the outskirts of the city. The conditions there were brutal, and the workload was never-ending. The guards, clearly under special orders, treated her especially cruelly. Three days dragged on like three years. Gritting her teeth, she forced herself to persevere. Her hands were covered in bloodied blisters, her shoulders bruised and swollen. Every breath she took was laced with humiliation and despair. … Three days later, she was released. Dragging her battered and exhausted body, she made her way back to the base housing. At the gate of the camp, a staff member handed her a small packet of medicine. "There's a flu outbreak going around. Be careful when you get home. This is provided by the organization, one for each person. Hold on to it." Roxanne accepted it and murmured her thanks. … When she reached her doorstep, she came face-to-face with Callum, who was heading out. His brows instinctively drew together, though his gaze remained apathetic as he took in her filthy, battered state. "The flu's been spreading lately. Go clean yourself up, stay cautious, and don't you dare pass it on to Zoey." Roxanne felt only a barren emptiness inside. She was well aware that what mattered to him was always the last thing he said. He couldn't care less about what she had gone through in the last three days, whether she lived or died. "I understand," she responded hoarsely, brushing past him and heading straight into the house. Callum took a look at her retreating figure and turned to leave without saying another word. … In the days that followed, the base housing issued a notice, ordering everyone to stay inside unless absolutely necessary to prevent the flu from spreading. Roxanne stayed in her room as much as possible. Yet, one afternoon, she noticed Zoey sneaking out of the base through the window. Hours later, she returned with a large garment bag, her face glowing with delight. Roxanne couldn't take it anymore. She flung open the door and confronted her. "Didn't you hear the notice? We're not supposed to go out! What if you catch the flu and spread it to everyone here?" Zoey shot her a dismissive look. "How bad could it be? I heard the flu's practically gone now. "These clothes are custom-made. I had to pick them up today. I'm planning to wear them at the farewell ceremony." Noticing how utterly irresponsible Zoey was, Roxanne's anger flared up in an instant. She took a deep breath, suppressed her emotions, and shot Zoey a cold look. Without saying another word, Roxanne spun around and went back to her room. Since when had the recruitment standards at the Aerospace Research Institute No. 2 sunk so low? When she returned to the research institute, the very first thing she would do was fire Zoey and find out who had ever thought someone like her was fit to be hired in the first place.