Reconnection
2012 Words
“Jane, I will always be here for you.” Those were the words she remembered from her mother.
Gazing toward the window, she felt as if her mother’s presence was there. Overcome with emotion, she began to cry uncontrollably. Tears streamed down her face as she sobbed deeply.
Jason wanted to move closer to comfort her, but he couldn’t. The dextrose line and the tube connected to Jane kept him from doing so. Startled by her cries, the nurse rushed to her side.
“Jane, what’s wrong?” she asked gently.
Jane’s voice was barely audible, but the nurse understood her words: “I miss my mother.”
Feeling sympathy for her, the nurse gently tapped her shoulder to provide comfort. Meanwhile, seeing Mr. Stanford half-sitting on the bed, trying to reach Jane, the nurse calmly instructed him to stay still and lie back down.
In a simple house, Rosa, Jane’s mother, sat with weary and hopeless eyes as she stared at the wooden wall. Her appearance reflected the darkness in her heart since the day she stopped hearing any news about her daughter’s whereabouts.
With her trembling and wrinkled hands, she slowly stood up from her chair. Step by step, she walked toward the door, whose simple lock could easily be opened.
Her husband, already seventy years old, was still asleep when she quietly stepped outside.
Her mind drifted into a storm of confusion, carrying her through the quiet streets of the night. She walked without direction, as if her feet had a will of their own. The cold darkness surrounded her, but she hardly noticed it. All that filled her thoughts was the image of her missing daughter.
When she reached the pedestrian lane, the pain inside her finally burst. Her voice trembled as she cried out into the empty night, “Where is Jane?”
Her cry echoed through the silent street. Tears streamed down her face as her body weakened with grief. Unable to bear the weight of her sorrow, she sank to the ground and sat helplessly in the middle of the road, sobbing uncontrollably.
At that very moment, a vehicle from another television network—one of Jane’s employer’s competitors—happened to pass by. Inside the car was a reporter scanning the streets when suddenly her eyes widened. She immediately recognized the woman.
“That’s Ms. Soriano’s mother,” she said urgently.
“Stop the car,” she instructed the driver. “Prepare the camera.”
The vehicle halted, and the cameraman quickly assembled the equipment. The reporter then grabbed her phone and called the newsroom.
“Ms. Amy,” she said with urgency in her voice, “we have breaking news. The mother of Ms. Soriano has been spotted wandering alone. She appears emotionally distressed and is crying in the middle of the street. We are currently here at North EDSA, Chaviz Street.”
As the camera began to roll, Rosa remained in the middle of the road, her cries breaking the stillness of the night—like a mother calling out to a daughter who was nowhere to be found.
“Ma’am… are you alright?” the reporter asked gently, kneeling beside her. “If you don’t mind, we can take you to a nearby restaurant. You need to calm down. By the way, I’m a reporter from JBC Channel. Would you allow us to conduct a short interview today?”
Before the reporter could say anything more, Rosa slowly raised her trembling hands and gently held the reporter’s face. Her eyes, clouded with tears and desperation, searched the young woman’s face.
“Jane… is that you?” she cried in a fragile, broken voice.
The reporter felt her heart sink. For a moment, she could not find the words to respond.
Noticing that people had begun gathering around them, whispering and watching the painful scene, she quickly embraced Rosa to comfort her.
“It’s okay, Ma’am… you’re safe,” she said softly.
She then turned to her cameraman. “Help me bring her to the restaurant nearby,” she instructed.
Together, they carefully supported Rosa as they guided her away from the crowd and toward the nearest restaurant.
As they walked, the reporter could not help but feel a deep ache in her heart. Seeing Rosa in such unbearable pain was difficult for her. Although she and Jane now worked in different television stations, the bond they once shared remained strong.
After all, Jane was not just a colleague in the industry—she had once been her classmate and friend.
And seeing her friend’s mother like this felt like watching a heartbreaking scene unfold in real world
Her clothes were completely drenched by the steady drizzle of rain flowing down her body. Her mind was no longer in its proper state, clouded by exhaustion and grief. Yet her heart remained clear and determined, still searching for her missing child.
Her tears continued to fall as the news reporter gently positioned her so he could speak with her. But her eyes were not focused on the reporter. Instead, they looked distant—like a candle that was about to burn out, struggling to stay alive. Her eyes were already weary from tirelessly searching for answers about her lost child.
While the reporter carefully arranged her hands and helped steady her trembling body, he softly asked,
“Ma’am, are you okay? Would it be alright if I speak with you for a moment?”
But she received no response.
Instead, she only cried harder, her voice breaking as she repeatedly sobbed,
“Where is my beloved child?”
Seeing the depth of her pain, the reporter decided not to continue asking questions. Instead of pressing her further, he gently embraced her, trying to comfort the heavy sorrow she carried in her heart.
Somewhere far away, Jane’s mother cries endlessly, her sorrow echoing through the silence of her lonely home.
At that same moment, inside the quiet hospital room, Jane lies weakly on her bed. A strange uneasiness grips her heart. It is a deep, unexplained fear—an anxiety she cannot understand, as if her soul senses something painful happening beyond the walls of the hospital.
The door slowly opens.
Jason’s friend walks in and approaches the bed, his face filled with concern.
“Jane… are you alright?” she asks gently. “How are you feeling now?”
Jane gathers her strength and tries to speak, but before a word escapes her lips, she lightly taps her shoulder.
“Hey… don’t force yourself,” she says softly. “Your body needs rest. Forcing yourself to talk won’t help you recover.”
She then turns to Jason and gives him a firm, friendly tap on the shoulder.
“Hey, buddy! You holding up okay?”
The gesture carries the quiet bond of brotherhood—a silent recognition of Jason’s courage and the strength she has shown through everything.
Jason nods faintly.
Jason’s friend exhales and glances at the hallway.
“Well… I should get going,” she says. “I still have a mission to finish in the other wing of the hospital. There’s a lot waiting for me there, Jason. I can’t stay long.”
She gives them one last reassuring look before stepping back.
Nearby, the nurse who has been silently observing the scene finally speaks. She clicks her pen and offers them a small, thoughtful smile.
“In places like this,” she says calmly, “death does not choose where it comes.”
She looks around the quiet hospital room.
“This hospital… it is where life and death meet every single day.”
Her eyes soften as she looks at Jane.
“I truly hope you recover soon, Ms. Soriano.”
She turns and begins walking toward the door.
“I’ll go to my station now to get your medication.”
Then she looks at Jason.
“And you, Sir Jason… you should rest in your bed for now.”
The room falls silent again.
Only the quiet sound of the hospital machines remains—beeping softly, reminding them that life is still fighting to stay.
SECRET HOSPITAL – CORRIDOR –
Jason slowly realizes that he is strong enough to walk. Seeing a faint return of energy in Jane’s body gives him reassurance.
Carefully, he stretches his legs and lowers them to the floor. The cold surface touches his feet as he prepares himself to stand.
He decides to step outside for some air.
As he walks through the corridor, a strange feeling crosses his mind.
The hospital feels… familiar.
His eyes wander across the surroundings. The equipment is highly advanced—machines far more sophisticated than those found in ordinary hospitals. The nurses move swiftly and with precision, their movements disciplined and efficient.
They remind him of soldiers.
Every step they take is sharp and purposeful. Their actions are quick, organized, and focused on caring for the patients.
Jason wonders quietly to himself.
*Could there be soldiers here… just like me?*
A hint of regret crosses his mind. He wishes he had asked his friend more questions earlier.
He continues walking through the hospital corridors, trying to trace the path they took when they first entered the building.
Something about the place becomes clearer to him.
This hospital is hidden.
And it is obviously new.
Along the walls, he notices several framed photographs of soldiers. Yet the faces in the pictures are unfamiliar to him.
Then his eyes suddenly stop.
At the far end of a wide room, a flag hangs proudly.
The flag of the **United States**.
Jason stares at it for a moment.
If he is not mistaken, this hospital belongs to the country he loves the most—
**The United States of America.**
But the realization only fills his mind with even more questions.
Finally, he reaches the elevator.
The doors close, and he presses a button number 10.
The elevator begins to move upward.
Moments later, the doors open.
And the truth becomes clear.
The hospital is hidden deep inside a tunnel beneath the ground.
Level 10—the floor he has reached—is the surface above, the land that conceals the underground hospital below.
EXT. HOSPITAL ENTRANCE
The moment Jason steps outside, a thunderous explosion suddenly echoes through the air.
**BOOM.**
The sound is powerful and distant, coming from the **eastern direction** of the hospital.
Jason’s heart begins to pound.
That direction…
It is the same direction his close friend had mentioned earlier.
A wave of fear grips him.
But strangely, another image suddenly flashes in his mind—the nurse who had been quietly listening to their conversation earlier. He remembers her gentle smile… and the way she clicked her pen open while observing them.
Why is "that" what he remembers now?
Jason shakes his head, trying to clear his thoughts. The explosion fades from his mind as a stronger worry takes over—concern for his friend and what might be happening out there.
Without hesitation, he runs toward the road.
A vehicle speeds past, heading toward the eastern side of the area.
Jason sprints with all his strength.
His speed is incredible—like an eagle diving through the sky.
Within seconds, he reaches the moving vehicle and leaps onto the back of a 4x4 pickup truck
The sudden weight causes the truck to shake violently.
Inside the vehicle, the driver is startled.
The driver is dressed in a **hijab**, with only their eyes visible. Confused by the sudden movement, the driver glances around, unaware of what caused the vehicle to shake.
Jason crouches quietly at the back of the truck.
His sharp instincts begin to awaken.
Something about the situation feels strange.
He begins to suspect the people inside the vehicle.
But instead of revealing himself, Jason stays hidden—watching carefully, silently observing their every move.
The truck continues speeding toward the **east**, heading closer to whatever danger awaits.
Jason’s eyes narrow.
Whatever is happening… he knows he is already in the middle of it.
- Writer
