Unplugged

The next two days were torturously quiet in the apartment.

Gwen found herself counting each hour as it passed, and with each one, she felt more and more hopeless.

Now, she was pacing back and forth with her mom, and the emptiness left by Scott's absence weighed heavily and painfully on all of them.

Tess watched her daughter with a concerned frown as her own anxiety built by the minute.

Finally, Tess broke the silence.

"Have you tried calling him again?"

She sounded very drained, hopeless and broken.

Gwen stopped pacing and gave her mom a tired look.

"Mom, I've called him eighty-nine times. Pretty sure that's more than enough."

Tess sighed and rubbed her forehead.

"I'm sorry, I just don't know what else to do."

She slumped helplessly into a chair.

Gwen went over to her and sat beside her, trying to keep her own voice steady.

"You know, we could always call his mom. She might know where he is, right?"

But Tess shook her head quickly.

"No, not yet. I don't want Martha to know… I don't want her to think I've messed up this badly."

Gwen's stare at her mother softened as she placed a hand on Tess's shoulder.

"Mom, this isn't your fault. You couldn't have known…"

"YES, IT IS!"

Tess's voice cracked as her frustration and guilt finally spilled over.

"I was so busy lecturing him about leaving the door open when he got home, I didn't even notice when he grabbed some of his things and… left. Martha trusted me with him, and I… I let her down."

Her voice wavered.

She broke with each word.

To hide it all, she just hid her face behind her hands.

"I'm supposed to protect him, Gwen, to make sure he's safe, and now he's… he's gone."

Gwen wrapped her arms around her mother and pulled her close as Tess broke down. She gently patted her back, as though comforting a small child, letting Tess's sorrow pour out without a word.

"You're with me, mom. It's okay to cry…"

"I-, Is *sniffle* is it…?"

"Yes… let it all out…"

After what felt like an eternity, Tess's breathing finally slowed, and her head sagged against Gwen's shoulder.

Within minutes, she'd drifted into a fitful sleep, worn out from the depth of her worry.

Gwen eased her mother into a more comfortable position, tucking a throw pillow under her head. She stood there for a moment, watching her mom's weary face with an aching heart.

Unable to sit still, she moved to Scott's room.

The place looked as if he'd just stepped out—clothes still scattered, a notebook open on his desk, and his usual scattered tech and gadget prototypes strewn across the floor.

… Huh?

She picked up a framed photo from the nightstand, one from when they were little kids, grinning ear to ear with matching, ridiculous sunglasses.

Her fingers brushed across Scott's goofy childhood grin, and a lump formed in her throat.

She set it down, but her gaze landed on another framed photo nearby… one of Scott and Maya, taken not too long ago.

They looked so close, so connected.

It was painful to look at.

Before she realized it, Gwen's hand shot out and grabbed the picture frame.

In a burst of frustration, she hurled it at the wall.

… KSSHHHHH!

The glass shattered, scattering pieces across the floor, and the sound echoed around the room.

Gwen froze while her shoulders climbed and fell as she caught her breath.

Then, just as fast as the anger had come, it faded.

"Scott… please…"

Her knees gave way, and she collapsed onto Scott's bed, burying her face in his pillow.

"Come back…"

Tears streamed down her face, hot and unending, as she pressed her face into the pillow and gripped it tightly. She cried until her throat felt raw and her body was drained and empty. Lying there, her thoughts became a muddled mess, and a heavy sense of helplessness sank deep into her chest.

『Scott… wherever you are… *sniffle* I hope you can feel just how much we need you back… h-, how much I… I *sniffle* need you back…』

She tightly gripped the pillow in her arms.

━ ━ ━ ━

Scott leaned back against the railing of his suite's terrace, looking out over the Metro City skyline.

The night air was cool, brushing softly over his skin as he glanced up at the stars dotted across the dark sky—faint pinpoints of light barely visible beyond the city's neon glow.

Everything felt strangely still here… no voices, no beeping alerts, just a low, steady quiet that left him alone with his own thoughts.

His phone buzzed, and a small notification banner slid across the bottom of his screen:

[Gwen: I've been trying to reach you… (╯•﹏•╰)]

Scott glanced down and read the message in his peripheral vision without actually picking up the phone.

Gwen's texts were frequent—he knew that much—and they had only grown more insistent.

[Jake's asking about you. Oh, and by the way, if you're interested, we were thinking about assembling the 3,100+ pieces of the Great Blue Battleship from Galactic Legends. Remember? (*^‿^*)]

For a second, he let the message sit there, considering it.

Then, just as quickly, he swiped it away, deleting it.

He returned to looking out at the stars, tuning back into the solitude he'd come here to find.

Another message chimed a moment later.

He read it briefly:

[Gwen: When are you coming back?]

Scott didn't hesitate this time. Delete.

---

The next morning, Scott was stretched out in a cozy outdoor gazebo, wrapped in a soft cotton throw. He'd fallen asleep there, soothed by the quiet rustling of leaves.

[Ding!]

A loud notification suddenly pierced his drowsy state and snapped him awake.

"Ugh…"

Blinking away the last bits of sleep, he reached for his phone to check.

[Gwen: Hey, I need help with Nuclear Chemistry. Didn't think Rutherford would be such a bitch. Please reply.]

Scott read the message through half-lidded, sleepy eyes.

The mention of chemistry tugged at him, just slightly.

But after a moment's pause, he deleted it, sighing as he went to his bank app.

[Bank Balance: $12,680]

Just enough to keep things going, though he felt strangely removed from it all. The thought slid away as he closed his eyes and drifted back to sleep under the gazebo's shade.

---

Another day passed, and Scott found himself wandering through the hotel's lush gardens.

He had a jean jacket draped over his shoulders, and his white pants and clean canvas sneakers brushed through the grass.

The flower beds and topiary-lined paths looked beautiful but almost too perfect, like they were trying too hard.

The birds in the fancy cages along the path brought some real life to the place, hopping from perch to perch and chirping.

One tiny bird swooped down, ruffling its feathers close enough that Scott reached out, only for its mother to squawk loudly, scolding him until he stepped back.

"Tch, no fun…"

His phone buzzed in his pocket.

Scott pulled it out to see Gwen's latest message.

[Gwen: So… I got my dad to buy me tickets to the Galactic Legends rerun. You know, the one with the extended footage? Thought maybe you'd want to go? (⌒_⌒;)]

He read the text once, thought about it, then let his hand fall and swiped to delete it.

"Hrmm, looks like the WiFi signal gets around…"

Stretching with a yawn, he slipped his hands into his jacket pockets and kept walking through the garden.

The place was beautiful, no doubt, and the steady, unbroken quiet felt almost unreal.

---

Later that day, Scott threw on a cozy black sweatshirt and a pair of white cargo pants before heading to the outdoor café area.

He sat back with an espresso in hand and scrolled aimlessly through Instaflick with a blank face.

Posts, videos, comments—all of it flooded his feed from friends, fans, and the occasional ad for "Galactic Legends memorabilia" or "7 Sigma Ways to Charm a Baddie."

He scrolled past them without a second thought.

Then came the notifications.

One after another, messages flooded in, each one louder than the last.

Some fans begged for updates:

[Hey Nightwatch, when's the next stream? We're dying here, my glorious king! (─‿─)]

[@Nightwatch can't wait for the next stream! The last explosion scene had us all gasping. Please come back already, man (シ_ _)シ]

One donation message followed another, stacking up in his inbox:

[Ding! ButtSniffer donated $200!]

[Ding! You've received $300 from WickyWarrior8!]

[Ding! PhantomMuse89 has donated $5,000 | I don't know what's going on Mister Vigilante, but I really hope you're fine. I can give you my main line if you wanna talk? Please?]

[NutBuster5000 has donated $1000 | Just a little tip for motivation! Can't wait to see you back!]

They popped up with a string of emojis: rocket ships, alien heads, and the ever-present #NightwatchIsBack.

Still, he scrolled through them.

He was forced to ignore their desperate pleas.

More special posts from his fans flooded his feed: pictures tagged with him, fanart, memes, and endless comments asking about his next appearance. He tapped through a few updates, liking one or two out of courtesy, when a donation message popped up.

Soon, his attention flicked over to Chirper, where the tone was much more… different.

[@Nightwatch hasn't streamed in days… lmao, some hero he is (¬､¬) tch!]

[Can't believe Nightwatch is bailing out after one explosion. Total fraud! ( ಠ_ಠ )┘]

[Fr tho! I knew the guy was soft ( ◡‿◡ *) Chunni SOB probably off nursing a bruised ego somewhere.]

[Who leaves their fans hanging after a cliffhanger like that? Ridiculous. #Nightwatch #LetDown]

[Suck a dick Fraudwatch ┐(￣ヘ￣)┌ who needs that dude anyways… Pulsar's livestream was fire!]

[Don't lie… it was ass (︶︹︺)]

[Real shit! The only reason we even watch it's cuz she's cute ヾ( ･`⌓´･)ﾉﾞ!]

Scott's face remained impassive, showing no sign of anger or disappointment as he scrolled through the hurtful comments. It felt like the words just washed over him and their meaning faded into the background.

Just then, a new message popped up from Gwen.

[I just went to see my family doctor. Could you send me your health stats? Just a quick record of your weight, blood pressure, and temperature? I know this is weird, but… please. Just want to make sure you're okay ♡!]

His finger hovered over the message for a moment longer this time.

Then, he deleted it.

---

Almost a week had passed, and Scott finally decided to check out of the hotel. He approached the reception desk, and the concierge greeted him with a warm smile.

"We're so glad you could stay with us, Mr. McQueen. Very few guests actually take the time to explore the outdoors here. It's rare to see someone appreciate the garden so much."

Scott made eye contact with the man for a moment but didn't say anything.

He just nodded slightly.

Then, he grabbed his bag and walked toward the doors, where the faint sounds of the city could be heard beyond the hotel's luxurious quiet.

At the bus stop, he waited in silence, his gaze drawn to the slow, lazy flow of people. His phone buzzed again, and he opened the message from Gwen without much thought.

This time, she sent a picture of a forest filled with sunlight. The leaves were bright green and gold, and a gentle, winding path led into the distance.

Beneath it, she'd written:

[I went cycling today, Scott. Saw this, and it reminded me of you. Just… made me think.]

His fingers hovered for a second longer than before, but then, with a small, resolute tap, he deleted it.

The bus door opened, and the driver gave him an impatient look, grumbling.

"You getting on or not? I don't have all day."

Scott put his phone away, climbed the steps, and settled into his seat. He gazed out the window as the city gradually passed by. The message, the picture, and the notifications from his inbox faded into the background, leaving behind the calm silence he had been looking for since he left.

"I need to get out of this city…"

His tired eyes closed shut.

━ ━ ━ ━

Gwen sat in the middle of her chemistry lecture, leaning against her desk while the teacher droned on about isotopes and atomic structure.

The fluorescent lights above buzzed softly, but she couldn't focus on the whiteboard filled with equations.

Instead, her eyes were fixed on her phone, her thumb hovering over the screen as she waited for a reply from Scott, but it never came.

『Please, just say something…』

She swiped through her notifications… nothing.

Just more messages from classmates and a few likes on her latest post about the Galactic Legends rerun.

『I only posted this geeky shit because of Scott…』

She sighed heavily.

『It's been days… does he even care?』

With a quick flick, she opened a new message thread.

[Hey, Scott. Still thinking about you. If you're not going to follow up on the Black Mechanica Gang, at least let everyone know Nightwatch isn't done for yet. We're all waiting!]

Before she could second-guess herself, she hit send. Her heart sank as the message flew into the digital ether, probably landing in the same void as all her other messages.

She stared hopelessly at the screen.

"Gwendolyn."

The teacher's voice cut through her thoughts like a knife.

"Put your phone down, please."

Gwen jerked her head up as her cheeks flushed with embarrassment as her classmates turned to look at her.

"Sorry!"

She mumbled, shoving the phone into her backpack as she looked back at the teacher.

『You couldn't have waited five more seconds?』

The teacher resumed lecturing, but Gwen's mind was elsewhere as her fingers desperately itched to check her phone again.

---

Across the city, Emma relaxed in her large mansion, a sleek tablet resting on her lap. Sunlight poured through the tall windows, casting a warm glow on her as she scrolled through Chirper, her mood shifting with each post she read.

[Pulsar's livestream last night was fire! 🔥]

One fan gushed, sharing a clip of her most recent fight, where she effortlessly dodged an explosion.

[@Nightwatch bet you can't do that, bahaha!]

[I mean, that was the fun thing about watching his streams iirc, the struggle was everything 乁(ツ゚)ㄏ]

[Meh, fuck him (o-_-o)…]

[@Pulsar, can't wait to see what you do next! The chemistry with Lady Fortress was everything ♡!]

Emma rolled her eyes in disgust.

"Looks like TitanTech has found a new shiny puppet they're gonna feed the public…"

She muttered under her breath, but her smile faded as she noticed the top trending tags.

#PulsarPower and #LivestreamLegends dominated the list, each post celebrating her recent success.

But beneath them, a much quieter tag caught her eye:

[#WhereIsNightwatch?]

Her heart sank as she clicked on it, the posts filled with both concern and ridicule.

[Can't believe Nightwatch just vanished! Guess he couldn't handle the heat. （ ;¬＿¬)]

[Is he dead? I mean, is anyone checking on him?]

Emma sighed deeply, dropping her head into her plush pillow as her heart heavied with worry.

"Where are you, Mister Vigilante?"

She whispered to herself.

She flipped back to her own posts, scrolling through the endless stream of messages that filled her feed, but nothing seemed to spark joy.

Just then, a notification buzzed from her phone.

[Hey, @PhantomMuse89! We all love you, but we're kinda worried about our guy, @Nightwatch. Any idea where he is? (ー_ーゞ]

She leaned back to think.

She had to say something.

Apparently people now saw her as Nightwatch's biggest fan due to her supposedly desperate donations.

She quickly typed a response:

[I'm sure he's just taking a break. He'll be back when he's ready. But we can't stop supporting him in the meantime! #NightwatchIsBack]

She hit send and sighed with relief.

---

Back in class, Gwen fought against the rising frustration and sadness hitting her.

She wanted to reach out again.

『What's so hard about a simple reply?』

She opened her phone once more, resisting the urge to call him directly.

One last message, she told herself.

She quickly typed out a new message:

[Please just let me know you're okay. You don't have to explain anything; just say you're alive. It's killing me not knowing! I'm here for you ♡!]

She hesitated as her finger hovered over the send button.

Would this be too much?

Would he hate her for bothering him again?

Finally, she pressed send and watched the message disappear into the void once more. Just as she dropped her phone back into her bag, the teacher caught her eye again.

"Gwendolyn, if you could pay attention instead of texting, we might actually get through this chapter."

Gwen frowned deeply.

"Sorry!"

She mumbled, forcing herself to focus on the lesson, but her mind was elsewhere. She couldn't shake the feeling that she was losing him, piece by piece, just like the notifications piling up in her inbox.