He was dismantling the bomb.

Tick.

Time was passing.

Tock.

As far as he could tell-

Tick.

(Damn that insufferable ticking.)

Tock.

As far as he could tell. He had to tell her.

Tick.

Or, show her, at least. Compromise his secret.

Tock.

His hands slipped on the wirings.

Tick

He'd have to, not just to her but to the world.

Tock.

He readjusted his tools.

Tick.

Not that it mattered, of course. Not really.

Tock.

She mattered to him. Far more than his secret.

Tick.

And he'd rather she find out, first. The easy way.

Tock.

He pulled out the plastic explosive itself and severed the wires going into it.

Tick.

He searched through the play-dough-like substance.

Tock.

He pulled the cogs out of the mechanism in a fury. He tossed the disarmed bomb onto the ground and stomped on it.

The insufferable ticking stopped.

He locked eyes with her. Scared. In the corner of the elevator.

---

It had been... three years, now.

Justin remembered it well.

Standing outside the door to building 110, first day of classes at the university.

The doors refused to open.

Right beside him was a woman. Seemingly his age.

"EE 5?" He asked. It was the name of the class.

"Yep."

She popped the 'p'.

"Classes... do start today, right?" Maybe he read the announcement wrong. Maybe it was a different Monday.

"I take it you didn't read the syllabus," she said, easily.

Despite himself, he grinned. "I take it you didn't either."

"Nope."

Here, too, she popped the 'p'.

He extended his hand, "well, I don't suppose I could venture to introduce myself."

She frowned at him. "No. You can't."

"Oh. Okay." He supposed it was up to her.

The frown deepened, and Justin wondered what he'd done wrong. He began to rack his brain as his lips began to form an apology. "I was being sarcastic. Of course you can introduce yourself."

Justin blinked.

"I see," he said, "sarcasm."

"So?"

"My name is Justin." He said at last. "And you?"

"I'm Camille,"

"Pleasure to meet you."

She smiled strangely, as if confused. "And you," she said at last, then, "has anyone told you you're strange? You act like you're from a different planet."

"I am from a different planet." And he had no idea what possessed him to say that.

She opened her mouth. Then closed it again, and laughed. "You're teasing me!" She seemed quite gleeful. Then, a moment later, she added, "oh, so you do know what sarcasm is!"

---

"Dearest."

Camille was huddled against the side of the elevator.

"Everything will be alright."

She nodded. "Yeah. Just…"

He started the only way he knew how. Words he'd said before.

"I am from a different planet."

And suddenly a silver of laughter escaped from her lips. Just a short one that fought its way through terror to be there, but there nonetheless.

"Fifteen years ago, my spacecraft entered the earth. Only I survived, as a little child. Nowadays I'm known as a hero of sorts, here."

He could see her putting the pieces together.

"You didn't tell me."

"You thought I was being sarcastic. I wasn't. But I let you believe that. Because I was scared."

"I thought you were being sarcastic, but not once..."

She trailed off.

"Three years, and you didn't tell me."

"I'm sorry." And he meant it.

"Only now, that it's necessary, now, that you don't have a choice-"

"I had a choice. I could wait for things to go wrong. I could have gone for The Mollusk. But I went to save you. I knew where this would end up. I probably could have let the bomb squad save you, or something. But I didn't. I went to save you."

"Don't."

"Dearest."

"Don't."

"We need to get out. I understand if you don't want to be my friend anymore or-"

"Of course I'm still your friend. Don't be an idiot." And she seemed even angrier that he had mentioned that.

"Let's go." And he extended a bubble of air around them as he pried open the elevator door, letting the seawater in.

Slowly, they rose up to the surface. He could't hear what she was saying. He was concentrating on keeping control of the water, pumping air down to their bubble.

"I'm sorry." He said one more time, as they burst through the top.

He could hear helicopters and new agents up above. People lowered rope. Firefighters dived in and helped them up. He knew it was only a matter of time before they figured out what happened down there. Before they figured out who he was.

But one person knew, now. And his heart was that much lighter.

He knew they'd have to talk about it. He was worried about that.

But somehow, it wasn't worse than knowing she'd find out eventually.