Her bunker was exactly the way she had left it. Everyone she had assigned was still at their posts. Not a single soul had stepped inside while she was away. Theresa made her way past layer after layer of guards and finally entered the bunker. When she opened the last door, she saw Tania lying there. "Hurry, neutralize Aunt Tania's poison!" Theresa dumped everything she had taken from Professor K in one go, including the huge pile of serums she had scooped up from the Divine Institute and the Production Company. Professor K's eyes landed on the Eclipse Serum among the things she pulled out. His eyes lit up instantly. "Where did you get a Legion Evoloid?" he asked, astonished. Legion Evoloid? Theresa lunged for the Eclipse Serum Professor K was holding, snatching it out of his hands. Her voice was tense. "Talk about that later. First, get her antidote in." Professor K dug through the piles of supplies and pulled out a few vials. He was genuinely surprised to find his dog's bed and toys tucked in there. The sight made the older man's expression light up with a small, rare smile. He set the bed and toys aside and picked up two sealed vials. "These are the ones," he said. "Don't try anything. I want to see exactly what you're doing. If anything happens to her, I swear I'll cook your dog," Theresa warned him sharply, still on edge. Professor K didn't even flinch. He wore that smug, playful expression. "You think I'd fall for anything? With all the dogs you have, even if you cooked me, you wouldn't touch mine." Theresa shot back, "Then, maybe you should worry about me cooking you!" "Cut the act. You just don't want me messing with it. And honestly, if I wanted to touch your Aunt Tania, I wouldn't even need all this fuss. Staying quiet from the start would've been enough," he said, using a clean syringe to draw from the two vials. "When I say I'm helping, I mean it." Theresa's eyes narrowed. "Just make sure Starborn Order hasn't swapped your meds." Professor K snorted. "Keep doubting me and do it yourself. I don't care." Theresa had no reply. She stayed silent, frozen with tension, watching every move as Professor K injected the mixture into Tania. Her chest tightened like it might crush her lungs.She admitted it to herself. She was scared. Anything involving Tania rattled her, stripped her of her usual calm. Tania was all she had in the world, her only family. When Theresa was little, Howard was hardly ever home. Natalie worked constantly and had their ailing grandparents to care for. Theresa had learned to be quiet, not to cry or cause trouble. Everyone praised her for being so mature, but no one realized she needed companionship just as much as anyone else. She remembered once, when she was three, waking up at noon to find the house empty. She cried, clutching her pillow, wandering barefoot from room to room searching for an adult. She was terrified, heart racing, until Tania finally opened the door and scooped her up. From then on, Tania took her everywhere. Until the day Tania left the house for good. Theresa couldn't remember what she was doing when Tania left. All she knew was that after that, she never took another nap. After her grandparents and Natalie passed, maybe she let Howard's family in because she was afraid of waking up one day to an empty house with no one around. She'd survived two lifetimes in the apocalypse, thinking she'd gotten used to being alone. But meeting Tania showed her the truth. She hadn't been used to being alone. She had no choice before. Once a person has felt warmth and sunlight, it's impossible to settle back into endless cold and darkness. Theresa clenched her fists, every muscle tight, staring at Professor K as he pushed the syringe into Tania. Once the last drop went in, Theresa's breathing grew even shallower. She could hear her own heartbeat, the soft panting of the dogs nearby. That was until a weak voice sliced through the tense silence, coughing. Theresa's heart skipped. She blinked, then moved in a blur to Tania's bedside. "Aunt Tania!" Tania's eyes fluttered open as she coughed again. She looked at Theresa. "Terry…" "It's me," Theresa said, her eyes shining. "How are you feeling?" "I feel like I just had a really long dream. Where… where are we?" "Home. We're home," Theresa said, gripping her hand. "How's your body? Any pain anywhere?"