## Chapter 1 — The Cabin The road seemed determined to convince them they had taken a wrong turn. Panam was beginning to agree with it. The asphalt had disappeared nearly an hour ago. Since then, the convoy had followed increasingly narrow gravel roads through endless Finnish forest. Pines. Birch trees. More pines. Occasional lakes glimmering between trunks like pieces of broken mirrors. And absolutely nothing else. No traffic. No advertisements. No apartment towers. No corporate logos. No gunfire. No Night City. Just trees. "So..." Panam finally said from the passenger seat of Shammy's truck. "How much farther?" Shammy glanced at the navigation display. "Ten minutes." "You said that twenty minutes ago." "That was a different ten minutes." Panam groaned. Shammy smiled. Ahead of them, Marco's vehicle rounded a bend and disappeared behind another wall of forest. Behind them, Ace and Reyes were following in a second truck while Mai, Kiro and Lena occupied a third vehicle loaded with enough supplies to survive either a vacation or a small apocalypse. Knowing Marco, possibly both. The road dipped. Turned. Climbed again. Then suddenly the trees opened. Panam blinked. "...oh." The lake appeared first. Large. Quiet. Silver-blue beneath the afternoon sky. The surface was almost perfectly still. Beyond it stretched forest-covered hills and endless wilderness. Near the shoreline stood a weathered log cabin. Simple. Old. Comfortable. A wooden dock reached into the water. And twenty or thirty meters down the shore sat a separate building. Small. Red-painted. Smoke-blackened chimney. Panam narrowed her eyes. "Oh no." Shammy immediately started laughing. "You noticed the sauna." "I noticed the future source of approximately seventy percent of the problems that are about to happen." "Eighty." "Shammy." "Eighty-five." Panam groaned again. The vehicles rolled to a stop in front of the cabin. Doors opened. The Orbit immediately exploded outward. Kiro was first. Naturally. Before the engines had fully stopped, she was already halfway around the building. "KIRO." "I'm just looking!" "You haven't even unloaded yet!" "I can look while unloading!" Mai sighed the sigh of a woman who had long ago accepted that some battles were unwinnable. Lena stepped out of her vehicle, stretched, took one slow look around the property and smiled. "Marco." "Yeah?" "You found a good one." Marco looked absurdly pleased with himself. "I know." Reyes climbed out of the second truck and stared at the lake. "Okay." Everyone looked at her. Reyes shrugged. "It's annoying." "What is?" "I like it." Ace laughed. The sound carried across the water. Even Panam had to admit the place was beautiful. There was something almost unnatural about the silence. Not threatening. Not eerie. Just... Empty. Peacefully empty. No distant sirens. No gunshots. No engines. No advertising drones. Only wind moving through the trees. The realization felt strange. Night City was always making noise. Always demanding attention. This place demanded nothing. "Okay!" Marco announced. Instantly assuming command without meaning to. "Luggage first." The group obeyed automatically. Boxes. Bags. Food supplies. Coolers. Fishing gear. Several suspiciously heavy containers that Ace refused to explain. Everything was carried inside. The cabin itself was larger than it appeared from outside. A central living area dominated the structure. Large wooden table. Fireplace. Comfortable couches. Bookshelves. Several old armchairs. A kitchen that looked functional rather than decorative. One separate bedroom occupied the rear portion of the building. Simple. Practical. Warm. Panam set her bag down and looked around. Then she noticed something. No one was discussing sleeping arrangements. At all. No planning. No negotiation. No arguments. No questions. Everyone simply started putting their belongings somewhere. As though the decision had already been made. Without actually being made. Panam pointed. "Wait." Nobody reacted. "Wait." Still nothing. She pointed harder. "WAIT." That finally got attention. "What?" Reyes asked. Panam pointed toward the bedroom. "How are we deciding this?" Silence. The entire room looked confused. Mai blinked. "Deciding what?" "The sleeping arrangements." Another silence. Then Ace slowly looked toward the bedroom. Then toward the living room. Then back. "Oh." She pointed. "Marco. Lena." Marco nodded. "Yep." "Kiro. Mai." Mai nodded. "Sounds good." Panam stared. Then looked toward the couches. Ace was already dropping her bag next to one. Reyes dropped hers beside Ace's. Across the room Shammy had placed her things near the other couch. Panam slowly turned toward her. "No." Shammy grinned. "Yes." "No." "Yes." Panam pointed accusingly. "You people didn't discuss this." "Sure we did." "When?" "Apparently before you arrived." Panam narrowed her eyes. Shammy's grin widened. "Oh, you're going to have such a week." Panam didn't like how much amusement everyone seemed to derive from that statement. Outside, Kiro suddenly shouted. "THERE'S A BOAT." Everyone froze. Mai closed her eyes. "Kiro." "THERE'S A BOAT." "Kiro." "IT'S A REALLY NICE BOAT." Ace started laughing again. Lena pinched the bridge of her nose. Marco looked delighted. And for the first time since arriving, Panam felt something she hadn't expected. Not suspicion. Not caution. Not the usual readiness for the next problem. Just anticipation. Maybe Shammy noticed. She usually did. Without warning, Shammy slipped an arm around her waist. Panam looked up. "What?" "Nothing." "You've got that look." "What look?" "The one where you're pretending you're not excited." Panam immediately looked away. The grin on Shammy's face became unbearable. "I hate all of you." "No you don't." "..." "No you don't." Panam stared out through the open cabin doorway. The lake shimmered beyond the trees. The dock stretched into still water. The sauna sat waiting down the shoreline like a future bad decision. And somewhere in the distance Kiro was still enthusiastically shouting about the boat. Slowly. Very slowly. A smile appeared on Panam's face. Shammy noticed immediately. Of course she did. "See?" "Don't start." "You smiled." "Don't start." "You smiled." Panam groaned. The vacation had been underway for less than an hour. And she was already losing. Somewhere outside, Marco announced that he was starting the grill. Like a summoning ritual, every member of Orbit immediately began drifting toward the sound. The week's first gravity center had formed. And none of them had the slightest idea what they had just unleashed. --- ## Chapter 2 — First Night By the time the sun began its slow descent toward the treeline, the cabin no longer felt borrowed. It felt occupied. Not neatly. Not efficiently. Occupied. Which was different. Very different. Kiro's belongings had already begun spreading through the structure like an invasive species. A datapad sat on the dining table. A second datapad sat near the fireplace. A toolkit had somehow appeared on a windowsill. Nobody knew how. Nobody wanted to ask. Marco had immediately established operational control over the kitchen. Lena had claimed a favorite chair without ever formally claiming it. Ace had discovered a spot on the dock that apparently belonged exclusively to her now. Reyes had discovered a second spot approximately three meters away and denied copying Ace. Mai was attempting to read. Attempting. The keyword being attempting. Every ten minutes someone interrupted her. Usually Kiro. Panam sat on the cabin steps watching all of it happen. Shammy appeared beside her carrying two mugs. One was immediately handed over. Panam accepted it automatically. Coffee. Of course. "What are you thinking?" Panam looked toward the lake. "Honestly?" "Always." "This is weird." Shammy nodded. "Very." "No." Panam gestured toward the property. "This." "The cabin?" "The people." "The people are always weird." "Fair." Shammy laughed. The sound blended into the evening wind. Somewhere near the shoreline, Ace and Reyes were throwing stones into the water. Competing. Naturally. --- "Five." Ace's stone bounced five times. Reyes stared. "Hack." "Skill." "Hack." "Skill." "Hack." Ace grinned. Reyes immediately began searching for a better stone. --- Near the cabin, Marco was preparing dinner. The smell alone was enough to attract attention. Like clockwork. Orbit began reforming. People emerged from everywhere. Forest. Dock. Cabin. Boat. Nobody called them. Nobody needed to. Food was involved. The gravitational field had activated. Panam watched it happen. Then slowly looked at Shammy. "...you weren't kidding." "Told you." "They actually orbit the grill." "They orbit Marco." Marco pointed a spatula toward them without turning around. "I heard that." "Good." --- Dinner happened exactly the way good dinners always happened. No structure. No agenda. No hurry. People sat wherever they happened to land. Conversations split and merged continuously. Half-finished jokes drifted from one side of the table to the other. Someone laughed. Someone interrupted. Someone forgot what they were talking about entirely. It felt... Normal. A strange realization. But true. Night City never allowed normal. Normal was expensive. Temporary. Fragile. This wasn't. This was sturdy. Comfortable. Real. And Panam found herself relaxing despite every instinct insisting she should remain alert. --- After dinner came the sauna. The first official sauna session. Marco carried wood. Ace carried more wood than necessary. Reyes carried wood specifically because Ace was carrying wood. Mai carried towels. Kiro carried approximately seventeen unrelated objects. Nobody asked why. Nobody wanted the answer. The small building beside the shoreline glowed warmly as the stove heated. Steam drifted upward. The lake reflected gold and crimson evening light. For a moment nobody spoke. They simply stood there. Watching. Breathing. Existing. --- "Okay." Ace pointed toward the sauna. "Who wants to go first?" Immediately everyone started talking at once. "No." "Absolutely not." "You go." "You go." "Why me?" "Because you're small." "That isn't a reason." "It absolutely is." --- Panam leaned toward Shammy. "Do they always do this?" "Pretty much." "How do they survive?" Shammy considered. "Honestly?" "Yes." "No idea." Panam laughed despite herself. --- Eventually a rotation was established. Mostly. Kind of. Not really. It was less a plan and more organized chaos. Which seemed to describe Orbit surprisingly well. The sauna itself was everything Panam secretly hoped it would be. Hot. Simple. Comfortable. Wood smoke. Steam. Crackling heat. No neon. No chrome. No advertisements. No city. Just people. --- Afterward came the dock. And the lake. --- "You're not serious." Ace grinned. "Very serious." "It's freezing." "Probably." "Probably?" "Only one way to find out." --- Then she jumped. Directly into the lake. Without hesitation. Without dignity. Without survival instincts. --- The splash echoed across the water. A second later Ace resurfaced. Sputtering. Laughing. Immediately regretting every decision she'd ever made. --- "ACE." Mai sounded somewhere between concerned and amused. "It's cold!" "You don't say." "It's REALLY COLD." --- Reyes was laughing so hard she nearly fell off the dock. --- One by one others followed. Not immediately. Not willingly. But eventually. Even Panam. Though she planned to deny that forever. --- The shock of cold water stole every coherent thought from her head. For a few glorious seconds there was no Night City. No work. No responsibilities. No future. No past. Only cold. And laughter. --- When darkness finally settled over the lake, everyone drifted back toward the cabin. Towels. Blankets. Warm drinks. The fireplace crackling softly. Outside, the world became black forest and silver moonlight. Inside, everything felt safe. --- The firepit was waiting. Naturally. Because no Finnish cabin apparently allowed people to go to sleep before sitting around a fire. Panam was beginning to suspect the entire country operated according to secret rules. --- The group settled into chairs and logs around the flames. The conversation slowed. Softened. Deepened. The energy shifted. Less chaos. More warmth. The kind that arrived when people stopped performing and simply existed together. --- At one point Panam noticed something. Ace wasn't talking. Neither was Mai. Neither was Reyes. Neither was Lena. Neither was Marco. Neither was Shammy. Nobody felt obligated to fill the silence. The silence itself was welcome. Comfortable. Trusted. --- That realization hit harder than she expected. Because most people she knew were terrified of silence. Orbit wasn't. --- Eventually Marco stood. "I'm heading in." "Already?" "We've got seven days." That earned immediate agreement. One by one people followed. Not because they were tired. Because there was no reason not to. Tomorrow would still be there. For once. --- Panam lingered near the dying fire. The lake stretched beyond the darkness. Still. Peaceful. Endless. Shammy appeared beside her. Of course. "Good first day?" Panam opened her mouth. Prepared a sarcastic answer. Prepared a deflection. Prepared a complaint. Prepared anything except the truth. Then sighed. "...yeah." Shammy smiled. A dangerous smile. The kind that knew exactly how much effort that admission cost. "Yeah?" "Don't make a thing out of it." "I would never." "Liar." "Absolutely." Panam laughed. The sound disappeared into the night. Tomorrow would bring trouble. She was already certain of that. She simply didn't realize what kind of trouble. Because somewhere inside the cabin, Ace and Mai had just exchanged a look. And that was never a good sign. Not for anyone. Least of all Panam. --- ## Chapter 3 — The First Walk Marco was already awake when the cabin began slowly returning to life. Nobody was surprised. The man treated mornings the same way he treated grills. Professionally. The smell of coffee drifted through the cabin. Fresh bread. Eggs. Something involving bacon. Possibly magic. Panam wasn't entirely certain. She stumbled into the kitchen area and found Marco calmly working at the stove while Lena sat nearby with a mug of coffee and the expression of someone who had won at life years ago. "Morning." Marco looked up. "Morning." Lena lifted her mug. "Welcome back to consciousness." Panam grunted. "Too early." "It is nine." "Exactly." Lena smiled. Marco laughed. The cabin remained mostly quiet. For now. Which meant the others were still asleep. Or pretending to be. Both were equally possible. --- The first to emerge was Kiro. Unfortunately. --- Panam had barely started drinking coffee when Kiro appeared. Hair everywhere. Blanket wrapped around her shoulders. Half asleep. Entirely dangerous. --- Kiro stopped. Sniffed. Turned toward the kitchen. Immediately locked onto breakfast. --- "Oh." --- She changed direction without another word. Like a missile acquiring a target. --- Marco slid a plate toward her without looking. Clearly this had happened before. Many times. --- Mai appeared shortly afterward. Much more composed. Much more awake. Much more Mai. --- The fact that she immediately sat beside Kiro despite numerous other available seats did not go unnoticed. At least not by Panam. --- Then again... Nobody else seemed surprised. --- Shammy arrived next. Sat beside Panam. Immediately stole half her blanket. --- "Hey." "Hey." --- Silence. Comfortable. --- Panam was still getting used to how often Orbit communicated through silence. Nobody appeared concerned by it. Nobody rushed to fill empty space. The realization remained strange. --- Eventually Reyes emerged. Still sleepy. Still arguing with reality. --- "Coffee." --- Marco pointed. --- "You're a saint." --- "That isn't what you called me yesterday." --- "Yesterday I was losing an argument." --- "Which one?" --- "Exactly." --- Ace arrived last. Or rather... Almost last. --- Panam didn't notice at first. Because what she noticed instead was the absence. --- A seat remained empty. --- Then another. --- She frowned. --- Looked around. --- Counted again. --- One. Two. Three. Four. Five. Six. Seven. --- "...wait." --- Nobody reacted. --- Panam looked around again. --- "Wait." --- Still nothing. --- She pointed. --- "Where's Mai?" --- Kiro took a bite of toast. --- "Walking." --- Panam blinked. --- "What?" --- Kiro swallowed. --- "Walking." --- Panam slowly turned. --- "With who?" --- The silence lasted approximately half a second. --- Then every single person at the table looked at her. --- Panam immediately knew something terrible had happened. --- Shammy hid her face behind her coffee mug. --- Reyes suddenly became fascinated by the table. --- Lena closed her eyes. --- Marco made the mistake of laughing. --- Panam pointed. --- "WHAT?" --- Nobody answered. --- Nobody needed to. --- Because at that exact moment the cabin door opened. --- Ace stepped inside. --- Mai followed. --- And suddenly every missing piece of information assembled itself. --- Panam stared. --- Ace looked relaxed. --- Very relaxed. --- Mai looked equally relaxed. --- The kind of relaxed usually associated with expensive therapy or extremely poor decision-making. --- Their hair was slightly messy. --- Their smiles were impossible to miss. --- And neither appeared remotely concerned about either fact. --- Ace spotted the breakfast table. --- "Oh." --- She grinned. --- "Food." --- Mai sat down. --- Ace sat beside her. --- The movement happened automatically. Naturally. Effortlessly. --- Panam looked from one to the other. --- Then back. --- Then back again. --- The truth finally arrived. --- "Oh." --- Nobody said anything. --- Panam pointed. --- "OH." --- Shammy immediately started laughing. --- Reyes lost control completely. --- Marco nearly dropped a spatula. --- Lena pinched the bridge of her nose. --- Mai calmly picked up a coffee mug. --- Ace looked delighted. --- Panam stared. --- "You weren't walking." --- Ace tilted her head. --- "We walked." --- "You know exactly what I mean." --- Ace considered this. --- Then nodded. --- "Fair." --- 💀 --- Panam looked around the table. --- Nobody cared. --- Not one person. --- Nobody was surprised. --- Nobody was upset. --- Nobody was confused. --- Nobody was even interested. --- The world had gone insane. --- Lena took a sip of coffee. --- Then calmly asked: --- "Good walk?" --- Mai's expression softened. Just slightly. --- "Very." --- Ace nodded. --- "Excellent walk." --- 💀💀💀 --- Panam's operating system crashed. Hard. --- Completely. --- Blue screen. --- Kernel panic. --- Fatal error. --- Shammy immediately moved. --- The response was so fast it was almost practiced. --- An arm wrapped around Panam. --- A kiss landed against her cheek. --- Panam froze. --- "Shammy." --- "Yes?" --- "What are you doing?" --- "Recovery protocol." --- "I don't need recovery." --- "You absolutely do." --- Reyes nearly fell out of her chair laughing. --- Ace looked interested. --- Mai looked unsurprised. --- Lena looked victorious. --- Marco looked like a man witnessing a natural phenomenon. --- Panam covered her face. --- The cabin erupted into laughter. --- And somewhere beneath the embarrassment... Beneath the confusion... Beneath the overwhelming realization that she had somehow ended up spending a week with complete lunatics... --- Panam found herself laughing too. --- Which was unfortunate. --- Because Lena noticed. --- And Lena never missed anything. --- "Careful." --- Panam looked up. --- Lena smiled over her coffee. --- "Orbit is contagious." --- Panam immediately pointed. --- "No." --- The smile widened. --- "Oh." --- Lena looked toward Shammy. --- Then back toward Panam. --- "Give it three days." --- For the first time all morning... Panam wasn't entirely sure Lena was joking. And somehow that was the most terrifying part. --- ## Chapter 4 — The Sauna Problem Panam made it almost three hours before the next incident. To her credit, she genuinely tried. Breakfast ended. People drifted away. The cabin settled into its strange rhythm. Orbit dispersed. Orbit reformed. Orbit dispersed again. Nobody appeared concerned by this. Panam remained deeply concerned. --- The morning passed surprisingly peacefully. Ace and Reyes had somehow acquired fishing equipment. Neither knew what they were doing. Both insisted they did. The fish were unconvinced. --- Mai had managed to claim a chair on the dock. A book rested in her lap. For nearly twenty minutes nobody interrupted her. A new personal record. --- Marco spent part of the afternoon preparing supplies for dinner. Lena occasionally assisted. Mostly she supervised. Marco claimed there was a difference. Lena disagreed. --- Kiro disappeared entirely. This was not considered alarming. --- And Shammy... --- Shammy was stretched out on the dock beside Panam. Shoes off. Feet hanging above the water. Watching clouds drift overhead. --- "This is weird." --- Shammy smiled without opening her eyes. --- "You've said that six times." --- "Because it remains true." --- "It'll pass." --- Panam snorted. --- "No it won't." --- "It will." --- "No." --- "Yes." --- "No." --- "Yes." --- Panam turned her head. --- Shammy was grinning. --- The infuriating kind. --- The kind that usually meant she already knew something Panam didn't. --- Which immediately made Panam suspicious. --- "Why are you smiling?" --- "No reason." --- "Shammy." --- "No reason." --- "You're planning something." --- "I'm literally lying on a dock." --- "Exactly." --- That only made Shammy laugh harder. --- Panam narrowed her eyes. --- The universe responded immediately. --- Because at that exact moment Lena appeared. --- Which was rarely good news. --- "Shammy." --- "Yeah?" --- "Sauna." --- Panam blinked. --- Lena looked toward the lakeside building. --- Then back toward Shammy. --- "Come on." --- The silence lasted two seconds. --- Then Shammy sat up. --- "Oh." --- Lena smiled. --- A very Lena smile. --- "Oh." --- Panam immediately pointed. --- "WAIT." --- Nobody listened. --- Lena turned. --- "Back later." --- Then simply walked away toward the shoreline. --- Shammy stood. --- Looked toward Panam. --- Then leaned down. --- Quick kiss. --- Soft smile. --- "Don't miss me too much." --- And followed Lena. --- Panam stared. --- The two women disappeared around the side of the sauna building. --- The door closed. --- Silence. --- The lake remained calm. --- The sky remained blue. --- Reality itself had ceased functioning. --- Panam stood. --- Looked around. --- Nobody seemed alarmed. --- Not even slightly. --- Marco was preparing vegetables. --- Mai was reading. --- Ace was arguing with a fish. --- Reyes was helping Ace lose an argument against a fish. --- Nobody cared. --- Panam marched toward Marco. --- "You saw that." --- Marco looked up. --- "Yep." --- "You saw Lena and Shammy." --- "Yep." --- "And?" --- "And what?" --- Panam pointed wildly toward the sauna. --- "AND?" --- Marco considered this. --- Then shrugged. --- "Hope they're having fun." --- 💀 --- Panam physically recoiled. --- The man was impossible. --- "Marco." --- "Yeah?" --- "How are you okay with this?" --- Marco blinked. --- Then smiled. --- A calm smile. --- An easy smile. --- The kind people only developed after years of knowing exactly who they trusted. --- "Why wouldn't I be?" --- Panam opened her mouth. --- Then closed it again. --- Because the answer she expected suddenly sounded much weaker than it had thirty seconds earlier. --- Marco returned to chopping vegetables. --- Conversation apparently over. --- Panam looked toward Mai. --- Surely Mai— --- Mai turned a page. --- Without looking up. --- "You're overthinking." --- Panam nearly screamed. --- "YOU DIDN'T EVEN LOOK." --- "Didn't need to." --- "How?" --- "Pattern recognition." --- 💀😂 --- Hours later— --- And yes. Hours. --- The sauna door finally opened. --- Panam happened to be on the dock. Entirely by coincidence. --- Absolutely not waiting. --- Not even slightly. --- Lies. --- The door opened. --- Lena stepped out first. --- Shammy followed. --- Both looked relaxed. --- Very relaxed. --- The sort of relaxed usually associated with vacations, successful therapy, and occasionally criminal activity. --- They walked toward the cabin. --- Panam stared. --- Lena noticed immediately. --- Of course she did. --- The older woman smiled. --- "Good afternoon." --- Panam pointed. --- Lena nodded. --- "Good sauna." --- 💀 --- Shammy lost control completely. --- Laughing. --- Actually laughing. --- The sound echoed across the lake. --- Panam buried her face in her hands. --- The universe was conspiring against her. --- That evening the entire group gathered around Marco's grill again. As always. Like migratory birds responding to some ancient instinct. --- The smell alone was enough. --- Food. --- Fire. --- Good company. --- Orbit reassembled. --- Ace appeared from somewhere. --- Reyes appeared from somewhere else. --- Kiro emerged from the forest carrying entirely too many mushrooms. --- Nobody asked. --- Nobody wanted the answer. --- The evening settled into laughter and conversation. Easy. Comfortable. Warm. --- And at some point during dinner Panam realized something. --- The thing that bothered her wasn't what had happened. --- Not really. --- The thing that bothered her was that everyone trusted each other enough for it to happen. --- That realization sat quietly in the back of her mind. --- Uncomfortable. --- Complicated. --- And strangely beautiful. --- Which was a dangerous combination. --- Because somewhere across the table Lena caught her expression. --- And smiled. --- A knowing smile. --- The kind Panam was rapidly learning to fear. --- "Three days." --- Panam pointed immediately. --- "No." --- Lena took a sip of wine. --- The smile widened. --- "We'll see." --- Across the table Shammy was already laughing. --- And somehow... --- For reasons Panam refused to examine too closely... --- She found herself smiling too. --- ## Chapter 5 — Mai's Educational Program The third day began peacefully. Which should have been the first warning. Panam was beginning to learn that Orbit operated according to strange laws. Whenever things felt calm, somebody inevitably made them worse. Or better. The distinction was often difficult to determine. --- Breakfast had ended. Marco was cleaning up. Lena had claimed her chair. Ace and Reyes were arguing about something completely irrelevant. Kiro was explaining a technical topic nobody else understood. Life was good. Normal. Safe. --- Then Mai looked up from her coffee. Directly at Panam. --- Panam immediately became suspicious. --- "No." --- Mai blinked. --- "I haven't said anything." --- "You were about to." --- "I was." --- "Then no." --- Mai took another sip. --- Calm. Patient. Dangerous. --- "Come with me." --- "There it is." --- "Panam." --- "No." --- "Panam." --- "No." --- Across the table, Lena quietly lowered her coffee mug. --- Reyes immediately looked interested. --- Ace was already smiling. --- Shammy looked entirely too amused. --- Panam pointed around the room. --- "Why is everyone looking at me?" --- "Because this is funny." --- "Thank you, Reyes." --- "You're welcome." --- Mai stood. --- "Come on." --- "No." --- "Come on." --- "No." --- "Panam." --- A pause. --- "...damn it." --- The entire cabin erupted into laughter. --- Panam stood. --- Pointed accusingly at all of them. --- "I hate every single one of you." --- "No you don't." --- Unfortunately, Shammy was correct. --- Again. --- Which was becoming a problem. --- Mai headed toward the shoreline. Panam followed. Still complaining. Still suspicious. Still trying to maintain dignity. --- The effort was doomed. --- The two disappeared around the side of the sauna building. Then beyond the trees. Then entirely from sight. --- Silence settled over the cabin. --- Ace looked toward the forest. --- Then toward Shammy. --- "You okay?" --- Shammy laughed. --- "Why wouldn't I be?" --- Ace grinned. --- "Fair." --- Marco continued washing dishes. --- Lena continued drinking coffee. --- Nobody appeared concerned. --- Which somehow remained the strangest part. --- Hours later the pair returned. --- Panam looked relaxed. --- Which immediately made everyone nervous. --- Not because relaxation was unusual. --- Because Panam almost never looked relaxed. --- Mai carried herself with her usual calm confidence. --- Panam looked like someone who had spent several hours losing an argument. --- Repeatedly. --- Reyes spotted them first. --- "Oh, there they are." --- The entire table looked up. --- Panam stopped walking. --- A terrible realization arrived. --- Everyone was looking. --- Everyone. --- Waiting. --- Lena smiled. --- The smile of a predator who had found perfect timing. --- "Good walk?" --- Panam closed her eyes. --- The universe clearly hated her. --- Mai answered first. --- "Very." --- Lena nodded. --- "I thought so." --- Panam pointed. --- "No." --- "No what?" --- "You." --- Lena's smile widened. --- "Me?" --- "Stop doing that." --- "Doing what?" --- "That." --- Nobody helped. --- Not one person. --- Shammy was laughing too hard. --- Ace had completely given up pretending to be neutral. --- Reyes looked moments away from falling out of her chair. --- Even Marco was smiling. --- Traitor. --- Panam stared at all of them. --- Then something unexpected happened. --- Something dangerous. --- Something catastrophic. --- Something Orbit. --- She started laughing too. --- The realization hit immediately afterward. --- The cabin. The lake. The sauna. The dock. The people. --- All of it. --- For one brief moment she stopped analyzing. Stopped questioning. Stopped trying to understand. --- And simply enjoyed being there. --- Which might have been the most alarming development of the entire week. --- Lena noticed. Of course she did. --- The older woman raised her coffee mug. --- "See?" --- Panam pointed immediately. --- "No." --- "You're smiling." --- "No." --- "You are." --- "No." --- "You absolutely are." --- Panam groaned. --- The laughter around the table only grew louder. --- Somewhere deep down she knew she was losing. --- The worst part? --- She wasn't entirely sure she wanted to win anymore. --- ## Chapter 6 — The Reyes Problem Panam should have known peace would not last. In hindsight, the warning signs had been obvious. The morning was pleasant. The weather was perfect. Nobody was arguing. Nobody was causing trouble. Nobody had vanished with anyone. The universe was clearly preparing something. --- Panam sat on the dock with a cup of coffee. The lake stretched before her. Still. Quiet. Almost unreal. A light breeze moved across the water. For once, nobody was bothering her. It was nice. --- Then Reyes sat down beside her. --- Panam sighed immediately. --- "Why?" --- "What?" --- "That look." --- "What look?" --- "That look." --- Reyes smiled. --- "Oh." --- Panam pointed. --- "Exactly." --- "You're learning." --- "Go away." --- "No." --- "Reyes." --- "No." --- Panam took a slow drink of coffee. Attempting patience. Attempting restraint. Attempting dignity. --- All three attempts failed. --- "You're planning something." --- "I'm always planning something." --- "That's not comforting." --- "It wasn't supposed to be." --- Reyes looked toward the cabin. --- Then toward the sauna. --- Then toward the forest. --- Then back toward Panam. --- The smile returned. --- The dangerous one. --- "Oh no." --- "Oh yes." --- "Reyes." --- "Panam." --- "No." --- "Panam." --- "No." --- "Panam." --- Across the property, Ace spotted the exchange. --- Immediately started grinning. --- Which was not encouraging. --- Mai noticed Ace grinning. --- Immediately looked toward the dock. --- Then calmly returned to her book. --- Panam hated how quickly everyone understood everything. --- It felt unfair. --- "Come on." --- "There it is." --- Reyes stood. --- "Come on." --- "No." --- "Come on." --- "No." --- "Panam." --- The silence stretched. --- Panam looked toward the cabin. --- Nobody was helping. --- Not Marco. --- Not Lena. --- Not Ace. --- Certainly not Shammy. --- In fact Shammy appeared suspiciously amused. --- Traitor. --- Absolute traitor. --- "...damn it." --- Reyes immediately looked victorious. --- Panam hated that too. --- The pair headed down the shoreline. Still arguing. --- By the time they disappeared around the trees they were debating something so absurd neither could remember how it started. --- Which somehow felt appropriate. --- The cabin settled. The day continued. Orbit dispersed again. --- Marco prepared lunch. --- Kiro disappeared into the woods looking for something. --- Nobody knew what. --- Nobody asked. --- Experience had taught them not to. --- Hours passed. --- The lake sparkled beneath the afternoon sun. The sauna sat quietly near the shoreline. The dock creaked softly. The cabin breathed. --- Everything felt slow. --- Good slow. --- Vacation slow. --- Then eventually— --- As always— --- The missing returned. --- Reyes appeared first. --- Still smiling. --- Panam appeared beside her. --- Still arguing. --- "...that's not how statistics work." --- "It absolutely is." --- "It absolutely isn't." --- "It absolutely—" --- The argument stopped. --- Because everyone was watching. --- Again. --- Panam froze. --- The universe was clearly malicious. --- Ace looked delighted. --- Kiro looked curious. --- Marco looked innocent. --- Marco was lying. --- Lena slowly lowered her coffee mug. --- The table fell silent. --- Panam knew what was coming. --- There was no escape. --- No mercy. --- No hope. --- Lena smiled. --- "Good walk?" --- 💀 --- Panam closed her eyes. --- Reyes immediately started laughing. --- Actually laughing. --- The loud kind. --- The completely uncontrolled kind. --- Panam pointed. --- "You're making it worse." --- "I know." --- "Stop helping." --- "I can't." --- That only made Reyes laugh harder. --- Across the table, Shammy looked entirely too pleased. --- Panam noticed. --- Which was a mistake. --- Because Shammy noticed her noticing. --- And smiled. --- The warm one. --- The unfair one. --- The one Panam never quite knew how to defend against. --- The next thing she knew, Shammy was standing beside her. --- An arm slipped around her shoulders. --- A quick kiss landed against her temple. --- "You're adorable." --- Panam nearly exploded. --- "Stop." --- "No." --- "Shammy." --- "No." --- Lena looked delighted. --- Ace was visibly suffering from suppressed laughter. --- Mai looked entirely unsurprised. --- Marco wisely stayed out of it. --- Years of experience. --- Valuable survival skill. --- Panam stared around the table. --- At the lake. At the cabin. At the people. --- And suddenly realized something. --- Nobody was trying to embarrass her. --- Not really. --- Nobody was trying to win. --- Nobody was keeping score. --- They were just... Happy. --- The realization landed quietly. --- And for a moment she stopped fighting it. --- Only for a moment. --- Then Lena spoke again. --- "You're smiling." --- Panam immediately pointed. --- "No." --- "Yes." --- "No." --- "Yes." --- Shammy leaned against her shoulder. --- Still smiling. --- Still impossible. --- Still home. --- Panam groaned. --- The entire table laughed. --- And somewhere deep inside she realized something that would have terrified her a week earlier. --- She was starting to look forward to breakfast. --- Which was probably the clearest sign yet that Orbit had already won. --- ## Chapter 7 — The Point Of No Return By Day Five, Panam made a horrifying discovery. She had stopped asking where people were. Not completely. Not consciously. But enough. Enough to be dangerous. --- The realization arrived during breakfast. Naturally. Because all disasters in this cabin eventually arrived during breakfast. --- Marco was making pancakes. Nobody knew why. Nobody questioned it. Marco had apparently decided that vacation calories did not count. The rest of Orbit had unanimously approved this policy. --- Panam sat with coffee. Shammy sat beside her. Mai and Kiro occupied their usual positions. Lena had her chair. Ace and Reyes were arguing. Again. --- The morning felt normal. --- Which was exactly when Panam noticed two empty seats. --- She looked around. Counted. --- One. Two. Three. Four. Five. Six. --- "..." --- No reaction. --- She looked toward the dock. --- Nobody. --- Toward the sauna. --- Nothing. --- Toward the forest. --- Possible. --- And then— Without thinking— Without planning— Without any conscious decision whatsoever— --- Panam said: --- "Ace and Marco are walking." --- Silence. --- Complete. Absolute. Terrifying. Silence. --- Panam froze. --- The coffee mug stopped halfway to her mouth. --- Everybody looked at her. --- Everybody. --- Slowly. --- Panam realized what she had just done. --- "Oh no." --- 💀 --- Shammy immediately buried her face in Panam's shoulder. --- Laughing. --- Actually shaking. --- "No." --- Lena calmly took a sip of coffee. --- "No?" --- "No." --- "You just said it." --- "I did not." --- "You absolutely did." --- "I refuse." --- Ace's chair remained empty. --- Marco's chair remained empty. --- Which somehow made everything worse. --- Reyes looked moments away from death. --- Kiro was openly giggling. --- Mai had abandoned all attempts to appear neutral. --- And Marco's pancakes were burning. --- Nobody cared. --- Because this was far more important. --- Panam pointed around the room. --- "Stop looking at me." --- "Can't." --- "Reyes." --- "Sorry." --- The grin suggested otherwise. --- Panam looked toward Lena. --- Big mistake. --- Lena was smiling. --- The smile. --- That smile. --- The one that meant Lena knew she had won something. --- Without effort. --- Without mercy. --- Without even standing up. --- "You know what the funniest part is?" --- "No." --- "You didn't even think about it." --- 💀 --- Panam groaned. --- Because Lena was right. --- That was the problem. --- A week ago she would have demanded explanations. --- Now? --- Now she had simply accepted the situation. --- Accepted it so completely that she had used Orbit terminology automatically. --- The horror. --- The absolute horror. --- And then the cabin door opened. --- Perfect timing. --- Ace stepped inside. --- Marco followed. --- Both carrying armloads of firewood. --- The entire table immediately looked at them. --- Then looked at Panam. --- Then looked back. --- Ace narrowed her eyes. --- "What happened?" --- Panam pointed. --- "Nothing." --- Ace looked toward Lena. --- Lena smiled. --- Ace immediately understood. --- "Oh." --- The grin appeared. --- The dangerous grin. --- The one Panam had learned to fear. --- "No." --- "Oh yes." --- "No." --- Ace dropped the firewood beside the door. --- Then sat down. --- Still smiling. --- Still entirely too pleased. --- "Did you really say walking?" --- Panam covered her face. --- The cabin exploded. --- Even Marco was laughing now. --- Which felt deeply unfair. --- The man had been involved. --- He should have been helping. --- Instead he sat down beside Lena and accepted a cup of coffee. --- Traitor. --- Absolute traitor. --- And that was when Panam finally realized something. --- Something undeniable. --- Something terrifying. --- Something true. --- The laughter around her no longer felt like she was being mocked. --- It felt like she belonged. --- The thought landed softly. --- Dangerously softly. --- Like a blanket. Like a fire. Like a home. --- Panam hated it. --- Which was unfortunate. --- Because she was smiling again. --- And Shammy immediately noticed. --- Of course she did. --- A hand found hers beneath the table. --- No comment. No teasing. No joke. --- Just warmth. --- Simple. Easy. Natural. --- Panam squeezed back before she could stop herself. --- Shammy's smile widened. --- Panam immediately regretted everything. --- The day continued. --- Orbit dispersed. --- Orbit reformed. --- People wandered. People vanished. People returned. --- The lake glittered beneath the afternoon sun. The sauna waited patiently. The forest whispered around the cabin. --- And somewhere in the back of her mind, Panam realized a terrible truth. --- Lena's prediction had been wrong. --- Not three days. --- The infection had happened much faster than that. --- And there was absolutely nothing she could do about it. --- ## Chapter 8 — The Traffic Incident By the sixth day, the sauna had become a logistical problem. Not a heating problem. Not a maintenance problem. Not a capacity problem. A scheduling problem. --- Nobody had created a schedule. That was the issue. --- The building sat quietly beside the lake. Innocent. Harmless. Completely responsible for approximately ninety percent of the week's ongoing nonsense. --- Marco stepped out onto the cabin porch carrying coffee. Looked toward the shoreline. Paused. --- The sauna door was closed. --- Again. --- He looked at his watch. --- Then toward the dock. --- Then back toward the sauna. --- "...huh." --- Lena appeared beside him. --- "What?" --- Marco pointed. --- "Occupied." --- Lena followed his gaze. --- The smile appeared immediately. --- "Again?" --- "Again." --- "Good." --- Marco laughed. --- The two stood there quietly drinking coffee. --- Like people observing wildlife. --- Because at this point that was basically what they were doing. --- The cabin door opened behind them. --- Kiro emerged. --- Stopped. --- Saw the sauna. --- Saw Marco. --- Saw Lena. --- Looked back at the sauna. --- "...occupied?" --- "Occupied." --- "Again?" --- "Again." --- Kiro nodded thoughtfully. --- Then disappeared back into the cabin. --- Nobody knew why. --- Nobody asked. --- Experience had taught them valuable lessons. --- About ten minutes later Reyes appeared. --- Coffee in hand. --- Hair still chaotic from sleep. --- She stopped. --- Looked at the sauna. --- Then looked at Marco. --- "Occupied?" --- "Occupied." --- "Again?" --- "Again." --- "Impressive." --- 💀 --- The three of them stood quietly. --- Watching. --- Waiting. --- Not because they cared. --- Because at this point it had become funny. --- The sauna door finally opened. --- Everyone turned. --- Entirely by coincidence. --- Of course. --- The first person to emerge was Ace. --- The second was Mai. Both looked entirely too pleased with themselves.. --- Silence. --- A dangerous silence. --- Ace immediately spotted the audience. --- "...oh." --- Mai looked toward the porch. --- Then toward Ace. --- Then toward the porch again. --- "Oh." --- 💀 --- Marco lowered his coffee mug. --- Lena smiled. --- Reyes nearly choked. --- Ace pointed. --- "Don't." --- Nobody listened. --- Lena spoke first. --- Naturally. --- "Good sauna?" --- Ace covered her face. --- Mai nodded once. "Very good sauna." --- Reyes lost control completely. --- The sound echoed across the lake. --- Panam emerged from the cabin. --- Attracted by the commotion. --- A mistake. --- A terrible mistake. --- She looked toward the sauna. --- Looked toward Ace. --- Looked toward Mai. --- Looked toward the porch. --- Then froze. --- "..." --- The silence lasted three seconds. --- Then Panam sighed. --- A long sigh. --- The sigh of a woman who had finally accepted reality. --- "Good sauna?" --- 💀💀💀 --- Absolute silence. --- Everyone stared. --- Everyone. --- Ace. --- Kiro. --- Marco. --- Lena. --- Reyes. --- The entire universe. --- Panam realized what she had just done. --- "Oh no." --- Lena physically lowered her coffee mug. --- Slowly. --- Deliberately. --- Like witnessing history. --- Shammy stepped out of the cabin. --- Saw the scene. --- Assessed the situation instantly. --- Then laughed so hard she had to hold onto the doorframe. --- "You said it." --- Panam pointed. --- "No." --- "You did." --- "No." --- "You absolutely did." --- "I refuse." --- "You literally used the phrase." --- 💀😂 --- Ace looked delighted. --- Reyes was no longer capable of speech. --- Kiro had abandoned all attempts at dignity. --- Marco looked like the proud father of a disaster. --- And Lena... --- Lena looked victorious. --- Completely. --- Utterly. --- Victorious. --- The smile could probably be seen from orbit. --- Panam closed her eyes. --- This was over. --- All of it. --- The resistance. The objections. The arguments. --- Orbit had won. --- The realization should have been horrifying. --- Instead... --- It was funny. --- Which somehow made everything worse. --- Much later that evening the entire group gathered around the firepit. --- The lake reflected starlight. The sauna sat quietly beside the shore. The forest surrounded them like a dark wall. --- Nobody talked much. --- Not at first. --- The kind of silence that only existed between people who no longer needed to fill it. --- Panam sat beside Shammy. --- Watching flames dance. Listening to distant water. Feeling warmth against her shoulder. --- For a while nobody spoke. --- Then Lena quietly broke the silence. --- "Having fun?" --- The question wasn't aimed at anyone in particular. --- Which made it infinitely more dangerous. --- Ace laughed first. --- Then Reyes. --- Then Kiro. --- Then Marco. --- Soon the entire firepit was laughing. --- Including Panam. --- Especially Panam. --- Shammy leaned against her shoulder. --- Soft. Warm. Comfortable. --- And for the first time all week... --- Panam didn't fight it. --- She simply sat there. --- Laughing with everyone else. --- The lake. The cabin. The fire. The people. --- Orbit. --- And somewhere deep inside, a realization quietly settled into place. --- Maybe. Just maybe. --- Lena had been right all along. --- ## Chapter 9 — The Long Night The strange thing about happiness was how quickly people adapted to it. By the sixth evening, nobody treated the cabin as something special anymore. Which was perhaps the clearest sign that it had become special. --- The routines had settled. --- Morning coffee. Breakfast. Wandering. Swimming. Sauna. Lunch. Disappearing. Dinner. More disappearing. Firepit. Sleep. --- Repeat as necessary. --- Nobody remembered exactly what day it was. --- Nobody cared. --- The world beyond the forest might as well have ceased existing. --- Night City felt impossibly far away. --- As if it belonged to another life. --- Another universe. --- Another version of themselves. --- Marco was grilling again. Naturally. --- The smell alone had already begun pulling Orbit back together. --- Ace emerged from somewhere near the shoreline. --- Reyes emerged from somewhere else. --- Kiro appeared from the woods carrying flowers. --- Nobody asked. --- Lena was already sitting near the firepit. --- Mai was helping Marco. --- Which mostly consisted of preventing Ace from helping Marco. --- A task that required constant vigilance. --- "You're treating me like I can't cook." --- Marco looked up. --- "You burned water once." --- "That happened one time." --- "It happened twice." --- "Technically." --- "It happened twice." --- 💀 --- The group slowly gathered around the fire. --- The lake reflected orange light. --- Stars appeared overhead. --- The air had begun cooling. --- A blanket eventually found its way around Panam's shoulders. --- She didn't know who put it there. --- She suspected Lena. --- Or Shammy. --- Possibly both. --- The evening settled. --- Food. Drinks. Conversation. --- And then something unusual happened. --- Nobody disappeared. --- Not immediately. --- Not for hours. --- Instead everyone remained around the fire. --- Talking. --- Really talking. --- The kind of conversations that only happened when people felt safe. --- Not polite conversation. --- Not performance. --- Not stories. --- Truth. --- Small truths. --- The important kind. --- Marco talked about Pacifica. --- About rebuilding. --- About community. --- About how difficult it was sometimes to keep believing people could be better. --- And why he kept doing it anyway. --- Lena listened quietly. --- One hand resting against his shoulder. --- Not interrupting. --- Not correcting. --- Simply there. --- The gesture somehow said everything. --- Later Kiro spoke. --- About curiosity. --- About why she never stopped asking questions. --- Why she couldn't stop asking questions. --- Even when questions got her into trouble. --- Especially then. --- Mai smiled throughout most of it. --- The sort of smile that only appeared when Kiro became passionate about something. --- Panam noticed. --- Of course she noticed. --- She noticed everything now. --- The realization remained deeply annoying. --- Reyes eventually spoke about freedom. --- Or tried to. --- Halfway through she got distracted by her own story. --- Then by Ace. --- Then by another story. --- The end result somehow still made sense. --- Mostly. --- Ace spent more time listening than talking. --- Which surprised nobody. --- People often assumed Ace was the loud one. --- The dangerous one. --- The reckless one. --- Sometimes true. --- But not tonight. --- Tonight she watched. --- Observed. --- Smiled. --- Occasionally laughed. --- The Shadow Aura remained entirely absent. --- Or perhaps simply sleeping. --- For once. --- Shammy eventually looked toward Panam. --- "Your turn." --- Panam immediately pointed. --- "No." --- "Your turn." --- "No." --- "Panam." --- A collective chorus rose around the fire. --- "Panam." --- "Panam." --- "Panam." --- "Traitors." --- Nobody denied it. --- Panam sighed. --- Long. --- Dramatic. --- Deliberately dramatic. --- Then looked toward the lake. --- The stars. --- The fire. --- The people. --- And realized there wasn't really anywhere to run. --- Not that she wanted to. --- Which was somehow worse. --- "I don't know." --- A pause. --- Then: --- "I think..." --- Another pause. --- Everyone waited. --- Nobody rushed her. --- Nobody filled the silence. --- "I think I forgot what this feels like." --- The words surprised even her. --- The fire crackled softly. --- Nobody interrupted. --- "I forgot what it feels like to stop." --- Silence. --- Comfortable. --- Understanding. --- Real. --- Shammy's hand found hers. --- Simple. Easy. Automatic. --- Panam squeezed gently. --- Then continued. --- "I spend so much time moving." --- Courier work. --- Roads. --- Jobs. --- Deadlines. --- Distance. --- Everything always moving. --- Everything always urgent. --- She looked around the fire. --- At the people gathered there. --- At the absurd collection of disasters she somehow cared about. --- And smiled. --- A real smile. --- No defenses. --- No sarcasm. --- No escape route. --- "I missed this." --- Nobody made a joke. --- Not even Reyes. --- Not even Ace. --- Because some moments deserved respect. --- The fire burned lower. --- The stars grew brighter. --- And for a while nobody spoke. --- Not because there was nothing left to say. --- Because everything important had already been said. --- The silence returned. --- Warm. --- Trusted. --- Shared. --- The kind of silence people earned. --- Hours later the fire had shrunk to glowing embers. --- One by one people drifted away. --- Not disappearing. --- Not tonight. --- Simply tired. --- Content. --- Happy. --- The last to remain were Panam and Shammy. --- The lake stretched before them. Dark. Endless. Beautiful. --- Shammy rested her head against Panam's shoulder. --- Neither spoke. --- For a long time. --- Then finally: --- "You had fun." --- Panam immediately rolled her eyes. --- "You're impossible." --- "That's not a denial." --- "Shammy." --- "Not a denial." --- Panam stared out across the water. --- The cabin behind them. The sauna beside the shore. The dock. The forest. The people sleeping inside. --- Orbit. --- All of it. --- Everything. --- And finally... --- Quietly. --- Honestly. --- Without excuses. --- Without qualifications. --- Without running away. --- "...yeah." --- A pause. --- Then: --- "I did." --- Shammy smiled. --- The warm one. --- The dangerous one. --- The one Panam could never defend against. --- "Good." --- Panam leaned against her. --- The stars watched from above. --- The lake listened below. --- And for the first time all week... --- There was nothing left to fight. --- Not even herself. --- ## Chapter 10 — The Last Full Day Nobody mentioned it at breakfast. Not directly. Not indirectly. Not even Lena. Which, more than anything else, revealed the truth. --- The week was ending. --- Everyone knew it. --- Nobody wanted to acknowledge it. --- So naturally the solution was pancakes. --- Marco was already making them when the others started appearing. The smell alone was enough. As always. --- Orbit gathered. --- Ace arrived first. For once. --- Which immediately made Reyes suspicious. --- "What did you do?" --- "Nothing." --- "You got here before me." --- "Skill issue." --- 💀 --- Reyes pointed. --- "That doesn't even make sense." --- "It made enough sense to beat you." --- The argument began. --- Everyone relaxed. --- Normality had been restored. --- Kiro arrived carrying a notebook. --- Mai arrived carrying Kiro's second notebook. --- Lena arrived carrying Kiro's third notebook. --- Nobody asked. --- Nobody wanted the answer. --- Panam appeared last. --- Which immediately drew attention. --- Not because she was late. --- Because she looked happy. --- Openly happy. --- The realization hit her approximately three seconds too late. --- Lena noticed first. --- Of course. --- The older woman slowly lifted her coffee mug. --- The smile appeared. --- Panam pointed immediately. --- "No." --- "I haven't said anything." --- "You were about to." --- "I was." --- 💀😂 --- The table dissolved into laughter. --- Panam groaned. --- But she was laughing too. --- Which made everything worse. --- Breakfast lasted nearly two hours. --- Nobody rushed. --- Nobody checked clocks. --- Nobody cared. --- The cabin had slowly taught them all a forgotten lesson. --- Time was allowed to pass. --- The rest of the day unfolded without structure. --- People wandered. --- People swam. --- People disappeared. --- People returned. --- Nobody tracked any of it. --- The forest paths became familiar. The dock became familiar. The sauna became extremely familiar. --- The entire property now felt less like a rental cabin and more like a temporary home. --- At one point Panam found herself standing alone at the end of the dock. --- The lake stretched endlessly before her. --- The water barely moved. --- Somewhere behind her she could hear distant laughter. --- Orbit. --- Always Orbit. --- A week ago the sound would have felt strange. --- Now it felt normal. --- That realization should have been alarming. --- Instead it felt nice. --- Which was probably how they got you. --- A familiar voice spoke behind her. --- "Thinking?" --- Panam didn't need to turn around. --- "Unfortunately." --- Shammy laughed. --- Then joined her at the edge of the dock. --- For a while they simply stood together. --- Watching the water. --- The silence remained easy. --- Comfortable. --- Home. --- Eventually Shammy nudged her shoulder. --- "You know Lena's going to be unbearable when we leave." --- Panam groaned immediately. --- "I know." --- "She's already planning it." --- "I know." --- "She's going to mention this week constantly." --- "I know." --- "And every time she does—" --- "Shammy." --- "—you're going to suffer." --- 💀 --- Panam buried her face in her hands. --- Shammy was completely useless. --- Entirely. --- Hopelessly. --- Wonderfully. --- Useless. --- The afternoon drifted toward evening. --- Slowly. --- Reluctantly. --- Like the day itself didn't want to end. --- Eventually a familiar smell rolled across the property. --- Smoke. --- Food. --- Marco. --- The final grill session had begun. --- And like migratory birds responding to ancient instinct... --- Orbit assembled. --- Nobody called them. --- Nobody needed to. --- The smell alone was enough. --- Soon everyone was gathered around the long outdoor table. --- Food. Drinks. Stories. Laughter. --- The atmosphere felt different. --- Still warm. Still joyful. Still relaxed. --- But beneath it all sat something new. --- Awareness. --- Tomorrow they would leave. --- Tomorrow roads returned. --- Tomorrow jobs returned. --- Tomorrow Night City returned. --- Nobody wanted to discuss that. --- So naturally they discussed everything else. --- Ace and Reyes argued. --- Mai and Kiro debated something incomprehensible. --- Marco told stories. --- Lena occasionally added details. Usually embarrassing ones. --- Panam learned far more about Marco than Marco wanted anyone to know. --- The stories became progressively more ridiculous. --- The laughter became progressively louder. --- And for a few precious hours nobody thought about tomorrow. --- Not once. --- After dinner they carried chairs toward the firepit. --- One final night. --- One final fire. --- One final gathering. --- The stars emerged overhead. --- The lake reflected them perfectly. --- The world seemed impossibly still. --- Eventually conversation faded. --- Not because anyone was tired. --- Because everyone was quietly absorbing the moment. --- The fire crackled. --- The lake whispered. --- The forest listened. --- And Orbit sat together. --- No jobs. No missions. No danger. --- Just people. --- At some point Panam looked around the circle. --- Ace. Mai. Shammy. Marco. Lena. Reyes. Kiro. --- The entire collection of disasters. --- Her disasters. --- The realization settled gently. --- Not dramatic. --- Not life-changing. --- Just true. --- Maybe that was enough. --- Maybe that was everything. --- Nobody said they didn't want the week to end. --- Nobody needed to. --- The way they lingered already said it. --- Hours later the fire had almost burned out. --- Nobody moved. --- Nobody wanted to be first. --- Which somehow felt fitting. --- Eventually Lena stood. --- The movement drew attention. --- She stretched. Looked around the circle. --- Then smiled. --- A soft smile. --- A rare one. --- Not sharp. Not teasing. --- Just warm. --- "I'm glad you all came." --- Silence followed. --- Then Marco nodded. --- "So am I." --- The agreement spread around the circle. --- Simple. --- Honest. --- Real. --- No jokes. --- No sarcasm. --- No masks. --- Just truth. --- The last night settled around them. --- And for a little while longer... --- Nobody let it go. --- ## Chapter 11 — The Last Morning Nobody wanted to wake up. The problem was that everyone eventually did. --- The cabin felt different. --- Not empty. Not yet. --- But no longer permanent. --- The illusion had broken sometime during the night. --- Today was departure day. --- Nobody mentioned it. --- Naturally. --- The first person awake was Marco. --- Also naturally. --- Panam strongly suspected Marco would continue making coffee even after civilization collapsed. --- Some habits transcended reality. --- The smell drifted through the cabin. --- Coffee. --- The universal signal. --- Orbit slowly returned to consciousness. --- One by one. --- Reluctantly. --- Kiro appeared first. --- Hair completely defeated by sleep. --- Blanket still wrapped around her shoulders. --- She looked around. --- Saw luggage. --- Immediately frowned. --- "No." --- Marco looked up. --- "No?" --- "No." --- "Unfortunately yes." --- Kiro groaned. --- The sound contained the full emotional range of a disappointed child. --- Which somehow made everyone laugh. --- Even before they were fully awake. --- Mai emerged next. --- Took one look at Kiro. --- Then quietly moved beside her. --- No words. --- No explanation. --- Just presence. --- Kiro immediately leaned against her. --- The crisis improved by approximately twelve percent. --- Not enough. --- But progress. --- The rest followed shortly afterward. --- Ace. --- Reyes. --- Lena. --- Shammy. --- Panam. --- The final breakfast assembled itself around the table. --- Nobody rushed. --- Nobody hurried food. --- Nobody hurried coffee. --- Nobody hurried anything. --- Time moved differently this morning. --- Slow. --- Heavy. --- Important. --- At one point Panam realized nobody was talking much. --- Not because they were sad. --- Because they were trying to stretch the morning. --- As long as breakfast continued... --- Leaving remained theoretical. --- Eventually even that illusion failed. --- Marco stood. --- "Guess we should start packing." --- The reaction was immediate. --- A collective groan swept through the cabin. --- Nobody objected. --- Nobody volunteered either. --- 💀 --- Lena pointed. --- "Move." --- The cabin obeyed. --- Years of experience. --- Packing began. --- Slowly. --- Suspiciously slowly. --- Panam watched Ace fold exactly one blanket over the course of ten minutes. --- "You're doing that on purpose." --- Ace looked up. --- "Prove it." --- "I don't need proof." --- "You do in court." --- "This isn't court." --- "Good." --- 💀😂 --- Across the room Reyes was somehow making packing take even longer. --- An achievement Panam had previously considered impossible. --- Kiro had vanished twice. --- Nobody knew where. --- Nobody asked. --- The answers were probably dangerous. --- Eventually bags accumulated near the door. --- The cabin began looking like a place people were leaving. --- The sight hurt more than expected. --- Not dramatically. --- Quietly. --- Like the end of a good song. --- The kind where you wish there were one more verse. --- Outside, the lake waited beneath a clear sky. --- Still beautiful. --- Still calm. --- Still impossible. --- Panam found herself drifting toward the dock one last time. --- The wood creaked softly beneath her boots. --- The water stretched endlessly ahead. --- She stood there alone. --- For a while. --- Listening. --- Remembering. --- The week. --- The firepit. --- The laughter. --- The breakfasts. --- The sauna. --- The disasters. --- The people. --- Orbit. --- A familiar presence appeared beside her. --- Shammy. --- Of course. --- Neither spoke immediately. --- Neither needed to. --- Eventually Shammy bumped her shoulder. --- "Thinking?" --- Panam sighed. --- "Unfortunately." --- "Bad idea." --- "Apparently." --- The lake shimmered beneath the morning sun. --- A breeze moved across the water. --- Gentle. --- Peaceful. --- Temporary. --- Then Shammy smiled. --- The smile. --- That smile. --- Panam knew instantly she was about to regret something. --- "You know..." --- "No." --- "You didn't even have one bluescreen yesterday." --- 💀 --- Panam stared. --- Actually stared. --- "That is your observation?" --- "Yes." --- "After an entire week?" --- "Yes." --- "That's what you noticed?" --- "Yes." --- Shammy's smile widened. --- Panam buried her face in her hands. --- Hopeless. --- Completely hopeless. --- And somehow... --- Perfect. --- A few minutes later Marco's voice carried across the property. --- "Last coffee before we go." --- The sentence hit harder than expected. --- Because everyone understood what it meant. --- The last breakfast was over. --- The last morning was ending. --- The week was finally running out of road. --- Orbit began gathering one final time. --- Like always. --- Following food. Following coffee. Following each other. --- Following home. --- Even when home wasn't a place. --- Only people. --- And Panam realized something. --- Maybe Lena had been right. --- Maybe Shammy had been right. --- Maybe everyone had been right. --- The realization arrived quietly. --- Like most important things. --- She was going to miss this. --- A lot. --- And that might have been the most dangerous realization of all. --- ## Epilogue — Orbit Got You Leaving took far longer than it should have. Nobody admitted this was intentional. Nobody needed to. --- The vehicles stood ready. Bags loaded. Doors closed. Coffee consumed. --- Everything was prepared. --- And still people lingered. --- One last conversation. One last joke. One last look at the lake. One last excuse. --- Marco was the first to surrender. --- Eventually. --- "Okay." --- Nobody moved. --- Marco laughed. --- "Seriously." --- Still nobody moved. --- Lena sighed. --- The sigh of a woman surrounded by hopeless idiots. --- "Move." --- That finally worked. --- Mostly. --- Goodbyes happened gradually. --- Not dramatic. --- Not tearful. --- Just honest. --- Hugs. Smiles. Promises. Plans. --- The comfortable certainty that this wasn't an ending. --- Just a pause. --- The last thing Panam saw before climbing into Shammy's truck was Lena standing beside Marco. --- Coffee mug in hand. --- Of course. --- The woman probably slept with coffee. --- Lena caught Panam looking. --- Smiled. --- Dangerous. --- Immediate danger. --- Panam pointed. --- "No." --- "I haven't said anything." --- "You were about to." --- "I was." --- 💀😂 --- Marco laughed. --- Shammy laughed. --- Even Panam laughed. --- The war had clearly been lost. --- The truck engines started. --- One by one the vehicles rolled away from the cabin. --- The dock disappeared first. --- Then the sauna. --- Then the shoreline. --- Then finally the cabin itself vanished behind trees. --- The forest swallowed everything. --- Just as it had when they arrived. --- Only now it felt different. --- Because now they knew what was hidden there. --- The road stretched ahead. --- Gravel. Trees. Sky. --- Panam watched the landscape slide past. --- For a while neither she nor Shammy spoke. --- The silence felt familiar now. --- Comfortable. --- The kind shared between people who no longer needed to fill it. --- Eventually Shammy glanced sideways. --- The smile was already there. --- Panam immediately became suspicious. --- "No." --- "I haven't said anything." --- "You were about to." --- "I was." --- 💀 --- Shammy laughed. --- The truck continued down the winding forest road. --- For several minutes neither spoke. --- Then: --- "Orbit got you." --- There it was. --- Panam closed her eyes. --- Of course. --- Of course it was that. --- Of course. --- The woman was physically incapable of letting it go. --- "No." --- Shammy's grin widened. --- "Panam." --- "No." --- "You literally started saying 'walking.'" --- "No." --- "You literally started saying 'having fun.'" --- "No." --- "You did." --- "No." --- "You absolutely did." --- Panam groaned. --- The road continued. --- Trees rolled past. --- Sunlight flashed through branches. --- The truck hummed softly beneath them. --- Shammy remained entirely too pleased with herself. --- A dangerous amount of pleased. --- Finally Panam sighed. --- Long. --- Defeated. --- Hopelessly defeated. --- "...maybe." --- The grin arrived instantly. --- Victorious. --- Completely victorious. --- "Maybe?" --- "Don't push it." --- "Maybe?" --- "Shammy." --- "Maybe?" --- 💀😂 --- Panam stared out the window. --- Trying. And failing. To hide her smile. --- The problem was that Shammy knew her too well. --- Always had. --- Always would. --- A few more kilometers passed. --- The forest slowly began giving way to civilization. --- Road signs. Buildings. Traffic. --- Reality returning. --- The week ending. --- Night City waiting somewhere beyond the horizon. --- Jobs. Problems. Danger. --- Life. --- The realization should have felt depressing. --- Instead it felt manageable. --- Because the week hadn't fixed anything. --- Nobody expected it to. --- The world was still broken. --- Night City was still Night City. --- People would still get hurt. --- Bad things would still happen. --- Tomorrow would still arrive. --- But now... --- Now there was a cabin. --- A lake. --- A dock. --- A sauna. --- A firepit. --- A collection of ridiculous people. --- A place waiting somewhere beyond the forest. --- A reminder that life could occasionally be more than survival. --- Shammy's hand found hers. --- Simple. Easy. Automatic. --- Panam squeezed gently. --- The gesture required no explanation. --- No words. --- No defenses. --- No argument. --- For once. --- The silence returned. --- Warm. --- Trusted. --- Home. --- Then Shammy ruined it. --- Naturally. --- "You had fun." --- 💀 --- Panam closed her eyes. --- The woman simply refused to die. --- A long silence followed. --- Then finally: --- "...yeah." --- Shammy's smile softened. --- The teasing disappeared. --- Only warmth remained. --- "Good." --- The truck continued down the road. --- Toward Night City. Toward work. Toward life. --- Behind them the lake remained. The cabin remained. The memories remained. --- And somewhere, deep in the back of her mind, Panam admitted a truth she would never confess to Lena. --- Never. --- Not under torture. --- Not under oath. --- Not even at gunpoint. --- The week had been insane. --- Orbit was insane. --- The entire group was insane. --- And she couldn't wait to do it again. --- **END**