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Veronica Sterling is used to house-shaking explosions. What she’s not used to is the deafening silence that follows this particular explosion.
Normally, there’s some sort of follow-up. Another explosion. Things being moved around. But today, it’s just quiet.
It’s just Veronica and Sloane in the house. Veronica’s not entirely sure where the others are, but she knows Tanner and Judd are with them and that Sloane opted out.
Veronica should go check on the blonde girl. She’s been in the basement all day, and Veronica honestly doesn’t know the last time she came up. She opens the basement door and listens. Nothing. “Sloane?”
No response.
Veronica heads down the stairs. She doesn’t know which set Sloane’s working with, so she starts checking all of them. She’s checked five before she finds Sloane.
The set itself doesn’t look particularly damaged, what with it having suffered an explosion not that long ago. There are shards of glass scattered across the floor, and Sloane is passed out a few feet away from them.
Veronica rushes over. She checks for injuries. Nothing. She checks Sloane’s pulse. Steady.
“So what happened?” Veronica murmurs. She leans forward and shakes Sloane’s shoulder, hard. The blonde girl starts abruptly.
“Agent Sterling?” she asks, coughing.
“Sloane,” Veronica says. “What the hell happened down here? Are you okay?”
“I’m fine,” Sloane insists, struggling to pull herself into a sitting position. Her gaze falls on the scattered glass shards. “There was… an explosion.”
“I could hear that much,” Veronica replies.
“It was a test,” Sloane says defensively. “But it exploded too much. I think… I think it was something to do with the air pressure.”
Despite her sitting position, Sloane sways a little, and Veronica reaches out to catch her shoulders. “You’re not looking too hot,” she says carefully. “Why don’t you come upstairs with me?”
Sloane pulls away. “I can’t,” she says. “I need to run the experiment again.”
“No, you don’t,” Veronica counters firmly, trying to make her tone as gentle as she can. “You need to take a break.”
Sloane stands up and wobbles slightly. Veronica catches her arm before she can move closer to the set. “You’re coming upstairs with me,” she orders, pulling Sloane away. Sloane doesn’t fight her. She hardly even seems to notice Veronica’s moving her. “And that’s final.”
Veronica comes to the foot of the stairs, Sloane’s arm wound around her shoulders. She studies the staircase, then looks at Sloane. “Can you do this?”
“Yes,” Sloane insists, even as her arm presses tighter against Veronica’s shoulders.
Oh. That’s what this is.
Veronica pauses and meets Sloane’s wide blue eyes. “You’ve been overworking yourself,” she says.
“No, I’m not,” Sloane argues.
“Yes, you are,” Veronica shoots back. She inhales deeply. “Look. We could stand here and have this argument until the others get back, and it wouldn’t change anything. You’re overworking yourself, and you need to eat something and get some sleep. I’m positive the others would agree.”
Veronica’s argument takes the fight out of Sloane, or maybe that’s the God-knows-how-long without eating or sleeping. She sways again, and Veronica raises her eyebrows. “Sure you can do this?”
“Yes,” Sloane huffs.
They make it up three stairs before Sloane goes down.
Veronica catches her before she falls down the stairs and scoops Sloane into her arms.
“Put me down,” Sloane protests.
“You clearly can’t make it up the stairs,” Veronica counters. “I’m making life easier for both of us.”
Veronica carries Sloane all the way into the kitchen and gently sets her down in a chair. Sloane’s head tips forward, but she forces it back up. Veronica pulls a chair out from the table and sits in it, facing Sloane. “So. We need to talk about how much time you spend in the basement.”
Sloane plays with the edge of her shirt, studiously avoiding Veronica’s gaze. “But it’s the only place where I’m not in people’s way.”
“Sloane…”
Sloane cuts Veronica off. “I’m always in somebody’s way,” she continues, talking faster and faster with each word. “I don’t do anything useful. I just blurt out statistics and talk too much. Am I talking too much? You’re not⎼⎼”
“Sloane,” Veronica says firmly, leaving the blonde girl staring at her with her mouth slightly open. “This program needs you. And I think you need it.”
“But⎼⎼”
“No but’s,” Veronica says. “We all worry about you, Sloane.”
Sloane’s silent for thirty seconds, and then she says, “Why?”
“Because things like this happen,” Veronica says. “You overwork yourself and pass out in the basement or wherever. Speaking of which, you need to eat something.”
Sloane hugs herself as Veronica gets to her feet and starts poking through the kitchen cabinets. She doesn’t know where Judd keeps anything, but she’s sure as hell not putting this off until the others get back. Eventually, she finds some ingredients, and a few minutes later, she hands Sloane a sandwich.
Sloane takes it and stares at it for several seconds before she actually starts to eat it.
Veronica waits patiently until Sloane’s done. She tries to meet Sloane’s eyes, but Sloane’s gaze is fixed firmly on the floor. “Something wrong?” Veronica asks.
“I’m sorry,” Sloane whispers.
“Sorry for what?” Veronica asks, confused.
Sloane lifts her gaze. “Are you mad at me?” she asks quietly.
“Of course not,” Veronica replies. “Why would I be?”
Sloane shrugs, but it’s clear to Veronica that there’s something she’s not saying. Veronica kneels down so she can look Sloane in the eye. “Sloane, honey, I’m not mad at you.”
“Somebody usually is,” Sloane whispers.
“It’s not me,” Veronica says firmly. “Trust me.”
Several seconds pass before Sloane finally mumbles, “Okay.”
Veronica rises and offers a hand up to Sloane, who takes it and lets Veronica pull her to her feet. “Why don’t you try to get some sleep?”
Sloane nods and heads for the doorway. Once she reaches it, she pauses and glances back at Veronica. “Will you come with me?”
The request surprises Veronica, but she doesn’t turn it down. She follows Sloane down the hallway and into Sloane’s room, perching on the edge of the bed as Sloane crawls onto it.
It doesn’t take long for Sloane to fall asleep, and honestly, Veronica’s not surprised. The blonde girl has been running herself dry, and Veronica wishes she didn’t feel the need to push herself that hard.
Veronica’s hand rests on Sloane’s. She hears the garage door rumbling open, but she doesn’t get up. They don’t need her right now.
Not like Sloane does.