Events unfolded quickly, and soon they were sitting in the car with Mara, the smell of onions still lingering. Tim hadn't had time to clean it, and Mara was slightly uncomfortable, trying to clean the seat under her and wondering where the smell was coming from.

It was evening, and Tim could have considered this little trip romantic under different circumstances. They were driving through the forest on a winding road, and Tim didn't remember having to grip the steering wheel this tightly and focus so much on the road. The situation complicated his plan to calmly discuss everything on the way to Jimmy's place.

Tim began his speech as he had planned. He started from the moment he first saw her and fell in love. "I've never seen a girl more beautiful than you, and your smile simply captivated me. You must know that I would never have let anyone through the gate. I always do my job properly."

"Tim, we barely know each other! And you're already talking about love; it scares me," Mara said worriedly.

"So you think it's too soon? Because I came over for you to ensure nothing bad happened to you!"

"You were worried about me? That's so sweet! But you also came because of the resistance, right? To help us," Mara said, watching Tim maneuver to avoid falling into the ravine on the dark, narrow road.

"Uh-huh... but you were the main reason," Tim replied. He continued when they got past the dangerous section, "When you came and tried to bribe me, if someone else had been there, would you have smiled at them as kindly?"

"What do you mean? Oh, you're asking if it hadn't been you? But we only met then. If it had been someone else, I would have tried to bribe them..."

"But would you have smiled at them too?" Tim pressed.

"I don't know what you're getting at... I smiled because I wanted to make a good impression so you'd let me through," Mara replied, annoyed by Tim's silly questions.

Tim didn't want that answer; he wanted to hear that she liked him too and that there was some connection between them from the start.

"But Tim, I like you, and I hope we stay in touch on the other side too..." Mara tried to smooth things over.

"Yeah, I know you like me, but I'm worried, and I know it's silly, but I keep thinking, would you still like me if I wasn't useful to you?"

"You mean, did we use you? But you don't seriously think that, do you?"

"I'm just wondering if, if I weren't a dedicated member of the organization and we didn't share the same goals, would you still like me?"

Mara shook her head. "I don't like how you're acting. You're talking in hypotheticals; what if this or that? What are you getting at, Tim? You haven't changed your mind, right? You know how important it is to the organization that we get the description through!"

"Yes, I know, but I did all this mainly because of you. I came over because I was worried about you. I want to believe in love, and if you don't love me the way I love you, I need to know that..."

"I like you, Tim. You're a great guy, but I'm not in love yet; it takes more than that. Do you understand?"

So he found out what he wanted, and he thought it would hurt a lot more. He even felt slightly relieved because now he didn't have to decide.

"But this doesn't change the plan, right? You haven't changed your mind, have you?" Mara asked, worried.

"No, of course not. I always keep my promises," Tim reassured her, feeling himself becoming more distant from her. They were almost where they had stopped last time, though it was hard to tell in the dark. It was a dirt road now, with walnut trees on both sides.

The dark forest seemed intimidating, and Mara felt a bit nervous, but seeing Tim moving forward so confidently, she hurried after him, trying to keep up with his fast pace.

Tim just wanted to get this over with. He was serious about finishing what he had started. They would return, Mara would disappear with the description, and he would return to his tedious gatekeeping job.

Jimmy appeared at his door again with a gun, as if he had a sensor buried somewhere in the ground to alert him.

"Ah, you're here," he lowered his weapon and let them in. "Judith told me you'd come tonight, Tim, and that you'd bring a girl! Great, you found her; I'm happy for you!"

Tim started to take off his shoes, but Jimmy stopped him. "Leave them on. I'll clean up later. You'll need to put them back on when we go to the teleporter anyway. But first, rest a bit and tell me what's been going on," Jimmy smiled encouragingly at them.

"I don't know how much I can tell you or how much Judith told you... maybe it's best if you don't know anything..."

"After what happened last time, nothing would surprise me anymore," Jimmy admitted. "I understand if you need to keep secrets, but I ask you to forget about this gate forever! Seriously. If I ever see you here again, or if you send someone else here, I'll shoot without hesitation. I won't even ask questions!" It was clear he meant it.

"That's understandable, and I'm sure she will also promise. I know you've already helped more than anyone could expect."

Mara nodded. "I wouldn't even know where we are exactly; we came in the dark..."

"Good," Jimmy was pleased. "I didn't want to spoil the mood, but we must be clear. So, I assume you need fake papers, too?"

"For the girl, yes. But I'm returning to the gatekeeping, so I don't need them. Just erase my movements," Tim said.

Mara stared at him with wide eyes as if she wanted to say something but then decided against it in front of Jimmy.

To Tim, the tunnel from Jimmy's closet to one of the small rooms in the lab seemed much longer this time. Mara walked ahead, and as he watched her blonde hair, he realized he didn't even like it; the brown suited her much better. It was as if he had found a completely different girl here.

It was painful to realize that Judith was right after all. As they moved through the dark spaces, he even thought that he didn't want any of this; why bother taking the girl across? Nothing made sense anymore.

Then he remembered that he had promised and couldn't go back on his word now. And the invention's description? How could he stop it? How could he take it from Mara? His head hurt from all the dark thoughts. He debated the most about whether he should stay here with Zack's team. Going back could have made more sense; what would he do there? Judith wouldn't be far away, and boring gatekeeping might no longer satisfy him. He might always wonder what would have happened if he had stayed.

When they entered the giant hall, it was empty again. "Does this laboratory even work?" Tim asked, but more to himself. Jimmy heard him and answered while searching for the key to the small room: "When experiments were ongoing, yes. But the inventor doesn't come here anymore; why would he, since the work ended? Now, it's just about guarding the documents and leftover materials. But there used to be a lot of activity here; this lab was operational for twenty years. I remember when things were so secretive that we got the order to tape up all the windows. Then, once the invention was ready, everything stopped overnight."

"You're talking about Bernardt, right?" Tim asked. "I met him; somehow, I find him very unpleasant. I can't explain why."

"Yeah, that's him. He has his quirks, that's for sure. He had a cat he took everywhere, even here, and its food cost a fortune. It didn't eat just any cat food, only salmon."

In the meantime, they entered the small room, and Tim felt uncomfortable being close to Mara. It's strange, he thought, how much things have changed. While Jimmy fiddled with the papers, they waited in awkward silence. Jimmy had already arranged for Noir to open the gate on the other side; they had nothing to worry about.

Then, in front of the gate, Mara pulled Tim aside. By then, Tim had more or less decided that Mara would go with the description as planned, but he would stay and join Zack. Mara's words surprised him: "Tim, I can see that you no longer trust me, that something has changed in you. I'm sorry you expected more, but we can determine what might be between us once we cross over. Okay?" She looked at him with her big brown eyes, and Tim almost felt that feeling again, that he would do anything for her. Mara continued, "I want to regain your trust. Take the description; you bring it!" With that, she reached into her pocket and placed the pen drive in his hand. "I'll wait for you on the other side, okay?"

Tim stared at the girl and the small pen drive, gasping for breath. Jimmy said that Mara could go.

The girl started, gave Tim an encouraging smile, then stepped into the bluish swirling light and disappeared.

"In a moment, you can go too," Jimmy said, punching codes into the teleporter.

"Jim, can I quickly check what's on this pen drive somewhere?"

"Sure, in the small room over there, but hurry back."

Tim didn't trust Mara? The girl had seen this very clearly. Until this moment, he had been stewing in his thoughts about how foolish he had been to join the resistance. The pen drive contained the exact description and the same images. So she had given it to him? He stood there with the small device in his hand; suddenly, his thoughts changed. He went back to Jim. "I'm not going after all; things have changed."

"Really? So suddenly?" Jim lifted his head.

"Yeah, sorry!"

"What should I tell Noir? Or will you write something to him?"

"Can you write to him that I've changed my mind? I'm staying and ask him to help the girl disappear."

Did Tim think about how the girl would feel when she realized what happened? Yes, and he somehow felt a sense of satisfaction that it was only fair to return the bad feeling she had given him.

As he returned to the car, he felt a bit guilty. But only for a moment. He imagined Mara, or whatever her real name was, crumbling when she realized she hadn't managed to get the description across. Tim consoled himself by thinking the girl should be happy that he let her escape, and he deliberately didn't ask for her new name to ensure she wouldn't think of finding him later. He had enough craziness with the resistance, and Bernard still bothered him.

He was tired when he reached his quarters at dawn. He was glad he had the chance to start a new life here, one full of excitement. And he was delighted the Mara issue was over, that he no longer behaved like a madman. Only now, looking back, did he see how blind he had been.

The usual dream caught up with him again, but he walked quickly into the swamp this time. He ventured deeper into the dark, swampy forest; the girl was nowhere to be seen, and in the sky, he saw dark, thick clouds. There was no trace of a blue sky.

When would these dreams end?

Tim approached Zack through the main entrance this time, but the same thing happened: he was surrounded and checked.

This time, the doorman didn't take him to the dining table but straight to Zack in a smaller room.

"Timothy! I'm glad you're here! Are you ready to join my people?"

They shook hands, and Tim placed the pen drive between them on the small coffee table. "How much do you trust Bernard?"

Zack was surprised by the question. "I've known him for quite a long time; if you look at it that way, we're friends."

"That's not good news. This pen drive contains the description of the invention. Bernard himself handed it over to the resistance."

Zack picked up the small device and signaled to his man at the door. He projected it with the projector, and Zack's astonishment was evident. "How did you get it, and how do you know he sold it?"

"In the past two days, I infiltrated the resistance a bit; I was there during the handover. I prevented them from taking it and brought it to you. And I suggest you screen the cleaning staff because some resistance members work here too."

Tim handed over the names and everything he knew except for Mara. At least he stuck to his promise; he didn't want to break it.

After discussing everything with Zack, he received his first task. To kill Bernard.