When they landlady asked you if the 6th floor was fine, why did you say yes? And why is it the weekend I come home, the elevator is out of order? I know my legs are fine but 6 flight of stairs to get to my apartment makes me beg to differ.

I make it down to the second door and sigh, setting down my suitcase placing my stack of mail on top as I fish my keys out of my pocket. They catch on the seam of my pocket and I yank harder and they fly out of my hand, ricocheting off my door with a jingling clatter before falling on the carpeted hallway. I bend down to grab them but my shoulder bag swings down in from of my body. The strap sliding down my arm and it falls on the floor too, knocking over my suitcase and all the mail skids across the floor. "Welcome home," I mutter to myself, grabbing the keys and standing back up. My wrist starts tingling as I turn the key to unlock the door and I wince.

I open the door and sigh. "Gerard, are you sure you can manage?" I mutter, mimicking Macy as I set my keys down on the table. "Yeah, I'm perfectly capable of handling myself." I track back over to the hallway, straining as I kneel down to scoop up the mail. I end up sliding my face into the carpet as I try grabbing everything at once.

"Mr. Way?" I snap my head up and see Marie giggling at me in the stairway.

I sigh, sitting back, most of the mail sliding out of my hand and flopping back into a pile on the floor. "Just dropped a few things," I say.

"Looks like more than a few," she says, skipping over to me. I smile at her as she sits down crisscrossed and starts organizing the letters neat and orderly. "You've been gone a long time."

"Yeah, seven months," I say, handing her the rest of the mail and she takes it.

She pauses, glancing at my other arm in a sling. "What happened?"

"Um, I was in a car accident," I say. "But it'll be okay soon."

She nods, her braids falling forward. "A kid in my class broke his arm at recess when he fell off the monkey bars. He had one those-" she stops and then gestures to the sling, "too, but his was blue, not black."

"That's cool."

She stands up, holding all the letters in both arms. "You have a lot of mail." I smile at her, grabbing my bag before standing up. "You got a wheely bag too?" She leans over and retracts the handle out.

I head back inside my apartment and she follows me, bringing the mail and suitcase with. "Thank you, dear," I say. "You can set it over there."

She nods and the starts heading back. "Bye, Mr. Way," she says, waving.

"Bye. Tell your parents I said hi," I say, sliding on a stool at my counter and I start going through the mail. She nods her head and shuts the door on her way out. Mostly bill notices stating automatic payments have been received, weekly letters I don't remember subscribing to, and a very shimmery envelope with beautiful calligraphy script addressing me. A smile forms on my face as I carefully open it, seeing Brendon and Sarah's wedding invitation.

Brendon. He said he was going to call me. I set the paper down, taking my phone out. Missed call. Okay, well, glad I remembered because I probably would have just gone to sleep and wear off the jet lag. I call him back. He's still in Austria, his flight tomorrow. He should be awake still.

"Gerard?"

"Hey, man," I say. "Guess what I just got?"

"Hmm?"

"An invitation to a wedding," I say, smiling. He doesn't say anything and it's quiet. "You there?"

"Yes," he answers. His voice is very stern.

I sit up worried. "What's going-ack!" I drop my phone out of my hands, it clatters on the floor. I frantically slide off the stool, grabbing my phone. I pause, staring at my hand. Why do I keep doing that? "Hello?"

"Are you okay?" he asks worriedly.

"Yeah, just dropped my phone," I explain. "Are you?"

"Gerard, we need to talk."

I slowly sit back down in the stool. "What is it?"

"I just got off a video conference with Macy," he says. "I'm not supposed to contact you about this while you're on leave-"

"Yeah, but since when did the two of us every follow that rule?" I say. He stayed in Austria to search the other locations Elsa gave him. "What did you find?"

"It's not over." I tense up, a nervousness creeping inside me. Deep down, I felt it was too easy but it was so relieving to believe he finished this. "The Russians are still working on the attack."

"We got Kelcer," I say.

"I know. But they're still active." I shift my jaw, trying to get the rational part of my brain working but my thoughts aren't processing. "I first assumed it was an attempt to still make an impact and sell the disease. But their operations are still going."

"They're going to use it here," I mutter. A jittering starts creeping inside my chest and I lean on the counter.

"It seems they had lab equipment here but it's been transported to the States."

"Trying to assemble a makeshift lab close to the target." My hand starts tingling and I set my phone down, putting it on speaker. I hold my head up, taking paced breathes to try slowing my heart rate down. "Where ever they set up, that's the city their attacking."

"Not necessarily but it's likely," he says. My eyes start watering and I exhale, pressing my hand against my temple. "Are you alright?"

"Mhmm," I groan.

"What's wrong?" he asks.

"Head," I spit out.

"Should I let you go?"

I close my eyes, holding my breath. "That might be best, I'm going to lie down."

"Okay, take it easy, Gee."

"Bye." I hastily end the call and grab my phone off the counter. Maybe there is a reason I shouldn't be updated on the case. I get up, heading out of the kitchen to my room. It's been a week, I should be fine by now. I get the shoulder but why is my heart rate still acting up? And why does everything hurt? And- My phone flies out of my hands, skidding across my floor. And why can't I hold anything anymore?

I grumble to myself, quickly bending down to pick it up. I'm legitimately shocked it's not cracked as I've dropped it so many times. I stand up and take a step when I freeze. I can't see anything.

There's a faintness around the room like I'm floating in the air or swaying in the sea. I let go of my phone again to grab onto whatever is closest, gripping the door frame as my body swings forward. I land on my knees, the jarring movement aching my shoulder. Slowly, the whiteness fades away and my vision comes back into focus. I take a breath, slowly letting go. I stare at my hands, closing my fists and opening them. My fingers are tingling. Like my hands were asleep. My vision returns to normal and I see my hands are shaking.