Billy watched the launch in silence, standing stiffly at the window. That was how a fallen soldier was supposed to be honored. He balled his fist over his chest in what must have been his first instinct for a salute.

When the moment passed, Billy sat just as stiffly on one of the many squishy chairs. He stared into space for a good few minutes, before the real reaction kicked in.

Tears. Billy bent over his knee and pressed his face into his glove, silently mourning the friend he'd come to rely on without realizing it. The lab and the Command Center would never be quite as colorful as before.