Guarded (#2 Post-Order 66 Series)

Guarded - Part 14

Tech had lost track of how many hours they'd been in the bongo, and at this depth, not even daylight permeated the water, making it impossible to tell if it was still night or day. He was grateful that there had at least been ration bars on board, one of which he'd eaten a while ago as Kestia slept. He turned to look at her in the seat next to him, her head tilted away from him, facing out the viewport.

They'd kept the heating systems on, but he was feeling warmer in his armor and was concerned about their power usage, so he reached forward on the control panel to dial back the heat. The cockpit grew silent as the heated air stopped circulating, and Tech suddenly became aware of every sound around him, Kestia's steady breathing, the soft whir of the engines behind them, and a dripping sound he hadn't noticed. Turning his head, he tried to identify the source of the noise. We're underwater at some fairly significant depths. A leak would not be optimal. He stood from his seat, having to keep himself hunched in the compact space as he walked towards the rear of the ship. The noise faded, and he turned, heading back forward before he spotted the source, and his heart thumped harder in his chest.

A dark red pool was forming on the side of Kestia that had been furthest away from him while he was seated, a steady drip trickling off her right side. Tech swallowed hard before creeping forward. Crouching next to her, he could see the dark red stain on her right side, but was unable to see where the injury was. He swore softly under his breath.

"Kestia," he said quietly, trying to keep his voice steady. She didn't move, and he considered shaking her awake gently. Shouldn't move her too much until I figure out what's going on. She had a thin sheen of sweat on her face, but he felt himself sweating underneath his blacks as well, so he wasn't sure he could count that as a concern. He removed one of his gloves, gently placing his hand against her cheek. It was alarmingly cool. The green lighting coming from the control panel made determining her pallor difficult, but when he pulled his light from his belt and illuminated it, he could see her skin was pale. Kriff.

"Kes," he said more loudly, gently tapping her cheek. Her eyes fluttered open, taking a second to focus on him. She groaned as she tried to sit up a little straighter, but Tech placed a hand on her shoulder, holding her in place.

"Uuugh, it feels like I've got a stitch in my side," she muttered, but she froze when she saw Tech's face. "What is it?"

"You're bleeding. Quite a bit."

"What?" she looked down, and her eyes widened. She tried to sit up again, but he held her firmly.

"I suggest you don't move until we figure out how badly you're hurt."

She swallowed hard, nodding at him.

"May I remove your chestplate?" he asked, indicating the brown leather armor she was wearing as part of her guard disguise. She nodded once more, and he carefully undid the clasps, lifting it over her head. She hissed slightly as she moved, and Tech felt his stomach drop when he saw the source of the problem.

Sticking out of Kestia's side was a centimeter or two of metal shrapnel. Likely from the gate that exploded near us. Her chestplate must have shifted when the blast knocked us to the ground.

Kestia's eyes followed his, and she sucked in a breath as her eyes fell on the metal. She immediately went to wrap her fingers around it, but Tech grabbed her hands.

"Don't touch it! You cannot remove it. The pressure is likely keeping you from bleeding out."

It was as if finally seeing the shrapnel had awoken Kestia's nerves, and she swore loudly, grimacing with alarm in her eyes. Her breathing became shorter and panicked as she tried to get a hold of the metal, the fingers of her gloves becoming soaked with blood. Tech wasn't sure if she hadn't heard him or if the fear was just taking hold of her, but grabbed her hands, keeping them in place.