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Pallas shook him.

And he snapped out of his thoughts.

Blinked into the brightly lit room.

His head aching with the sudden shift.

His heart aching with the empty pit that was suddenly there in his chest.

“I… I have to go.”

Buck pulled away from Pallas and didn’t meet his eyes as he moved toward the door.

“Buck, wait.”

He couldn’t.

He needed air.

Fresh air.

He put a hand on the door and wrenched it open.

The light outside was brighter.

Almost blinding.

Buck closed his eyes and turned his face away from it.

“Heath! Stop!”

Buck’s feet came to an awkward stop, almost scratching the toe of his boot against the concrete step.

He didn’t look back, but he stood there, waiting. “Yeah?”

“You’re not alone, man. You’re still one of us. On the team. Or not. You’re still part of us.”

Buck felt a strange anger rising up inside of him.

He wanted to lash out.

He didn’t know why.

“You’ve got time, Buck. Time to think about it before you make the decision.”

Buck held himself still.

His instinct was to tell him that he didn’t need the time. That he was out.

But the words didn’t come.

Why?

He had no fucking idea.

He just needed to get out and think.

MARI