It was amazing being asleep. It felt like an eternity of bliss. That was exactly what he had dreamt of, actually. The lime hill sheltered by the fluffy clouds and sunny skies.

  But a part of him could always recognize what it was— a dream. So when he woke up, he was not disappointed in reality. Even if his reality seemed to be unstable.

  He woke up, his eyes opening slowly. The bed was soft, comfortable compared to the floor. His eyes rolled to the left of the room, his jacket hanging up in waiting. The door out of here, right next to it. The light was turned off, though he could still see. An opaque window was opposite the bed, letting in some ambient, moody light through it. Though only blurs could be seen beyond.

  His ears adjust, noticing both his breath, and someone else. His head rolled to the left, seeing Amy lying asleep. Another puddle of drool on her pillow. He noticed that her hands were wrapped around his waist. Despite how comfy, amicable, and perhaps needed it felt, and was; he didn't know how to feel about it. Other than it was nice.

  He carefully removed her hands, got up to put on his jacket, and left the tinny room behind.

  Outside of the roof was a rack of missiles that hadn't been there before. Though the hangar was quieter than when he fell asleep, perhaps everyone else is taking a rest right now too.

  In the distance, the main door was closed. The lights buzzed far above him. As he wanders further towards the door, he comes to realize that no one else is up with him.

  No one was around. No Amy. Not Crosby. Not Gary. Not Gilbert. Not Lou. Not Delta. None of the others.

  After a life spent with the urban sprawl of cities filled with millions of people on dense transportation, overcrowded workspaces or at least with a companion; it feels deeply wrong to be alone. He didn't feel lonely. He felt disconnected.

  Yet, as he takes a seat on a random box near the plane he made his speech, he doesn't much care for his feelings as he contemplates what it means to be a leader. Just as he was considering playing some music.

  To try and numb his mind from taking steps he has not yet reached; he hears the sound of a door open. Amy approaches half asleep.

  “Hey… did you get a good sleep?” She asked through a yawn.

  “Yeah.” John replies a little awkwardly. “You uh, did you know you had your hands around me while you were asleep?”

  “I did?” She asked, genuinely surprised by the news. She rubs an eye as she takes a seat next to him, the crate much less comfy than a bed.

  “I'm sorry I had no idea. I can find a separate room if you wa—”

  “No. No, it's okay.” John cut her off with, immediately ending the proposition. The two sat there, looking apart awkwardly. The soft rain on the high roof is both soothing and annoying.

  Amy knew she couldn't really do that as all the sleeping arrangements of the hangar were full, save for the communal area. Many people slept in vehicles. Some inside boxes.

  A hangar wasn't the same as a barracks, evidentially.

  Both of them felt like something was wrong. Neither could figure out what it was.

  “Amy?” John says, finally looking at her.

  “Mhmm?” Amy replies, returning the look.

  John tries to look in her eyes, but it feels too uncomfortable. He settles for her nose ridge. “I remember parts of that speech you gave. I've been thinking about it. About what I fight for and all of that.”

  “Mhmm?” Amy asks, wanting him to continue. He does, although he looks away in the process.

  “Oh God, you're going to hate this. Just uhh… just after Jimbo died which… by the way. That was really hard to watch.” He stared blankly at the ground at the moment, a pause intruding before he kept talking.

  Unauthorized duplication: this tale has been taken without consent. Report sightings.

  “Yeah. That's another story. But, when he passed away I had to run. But the enemy had followed me, and so a chase ensued.”

  “Mhmm.” Amy hummed, her stomach twisting at the idea of such a thing happening. What John followed with was very conflicting.

  “And Amy. I have to be honest with you. That then? Being chased at a hundred miles an hour? That was the best thing I have ever felt. I felt so… I don't know.”

  “Alive?” Amy asked concerned.

  “Yeah… alive.” John replied, his eyes stuck in memory.

  “You almost died, John.” Amy replies, her words bringing him back to the present. “That isn't something you should enjoy.”

  John looked back at her, sharing the same concern.

  “I know Amy. I shouldn't. But I have.”

  Amy didn't know what to say. She just looked away while trying to hide her disappointment.

  “I don't feel like I belong here.” He says. “And I don't know what to do.”

  Amy weathered his comments rather well. They were painful to hear, but she felt she had solutions. “You've only just woken up, John. It's okay. Sometimes, we just feel bad.”

  John looks at her knee.

  “Yeah. You're right. But I feel like I should know what to do.”

  Amy puts her hand on his knee. “That's okay. I managed to read all of what Jimbo put down. Everyone knows there is a meeting once the Neosun only has a quarter left in the sky. By then, everyone will know the plan.”

  “What plan?” John asks, turning towards her.

  He feared she wouldn't have an answer due to how long it took her to reply. But as she looked up, he could tell it wasn't that. It was about him.

  “Crosby thinks it's time that he and his workmates finally reunite. He says that they had found their own rebellions to take part in. Essentially, there is a place that all of the leadership is going to meet. So you'll have to go with him.”

  The plan helped him feel better. It brought an idea to his mind.

  “You can come with us.”

  “No, I can't.” Amy said with longing. “I can't John. I'm needed here. I need to help Lou manage what happens next.”

  John grew a little distant from the news. “What? So is he the leader?!”

  “No, John.” Amy says pained. She desperately wants to agree with him, but she knows she can't. “You are the leader. Not a manager. You lead us to success, not tell us how to do things.”

  John realizes he is being selfish. He resigns himself emotionally as it sets on him like a void in his torso.

  “No one ever told me what it means to be a leader. All I've ever done up until now is survive as best I can.”

  “Maybe those are the same thing.” Amy points out, anxiety wrenching her gut. “Maybe the best leaders are made because they're the best survivors.”

  John feels tired. He barely woke up ten minutes ago.

  “I don't know Amy. And to be honest, I don't know why it is bugging me so much right now.” Amy listened to his words with a keen depth. They resonated with her as she looked inward at how she felt, sensing that they're actually experiencing the same thing.

  “Neither do I.” She says, looking to John. John looks back, this time in the eyes. They maintained it for a couple seconds before it broke with Amy giving him a hug. John returned it, both confused and happy. He rubbed her back with his hand. “Let's check the time, shall we?”

  The two let go, got up, and traveled together. They walked towards the small exit, keenly aware of each other's presence. As they opened the door, the rain was relatively soft. The tarmac was lit relatively well by the rising Neosun, high in the sky. Since the rain wasn't so bad, perhaps that is why seems brighter today.

  “There's quite a bit of time until they're supposed to wake up.” Amy tells John. John's eyes remained fixed on the Neosun. It reminds him of Gary for no other reason than they both seem to dislike it.

  “Where's Gary?” John asked her. Amy replies. “He drove away soon after you fell asleep. He didn't tell anyone where he was going.”

  “That's alright. He's earned a joyride.” John tells hers finally looking back down. She was starting to get a little soaked by the rainfall. He makes a suggestion. “How about we go back inside and prepare the plans and the meeting?”

  After the constant looking up, down, and all around they did earlier; she believes the idea will help make less things here seem… awkward.

  “Mhmm! Lets go!” Amy replies.