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[𝙴𝚙𝚒𝚜𝚘𝚍𝚎 𝟹] 𝚆𝚒𝚝𝚑𝚘𝚞𝚝 𝚢𝚘𝚞

My consciousness drifted in and out and I wondered if this was the end, if I had fried my brain with the excess stress and this was it slowly shutting down.

I felt something, arms, circle around me and pull me closer, into the person's chest. Their hushed voice whispered sweet words telling me everything would be okay, that I could rest now.

So I listened to that voice, and let myself fall asleep again.

Everything would be okay, Taylor and Hayley were okay, and I would be too.
____

When I woke up again, the Jaeger was dark, the only light coming from the faint glow of Loa's hologram.

"Loa?" I asked, looking around, "Where did Taylor and Hayley go?"

"Cadet Taylor and Cadet Hayley went out to acquire a new battery for Atlas Destroyer."

Slowly, I nodded, "Okay, that makes sense."

I could see on the monitor it said 2%. Definitely not enough for even a walk cycle, let alone keeping the Jaeger on for more than an hour or two.

If you think about it, a Jaeger at low battery's even less useful than a phone.

I used my left arm to pull my exhausted body up, only making it onto my knees before I dropped down onto my butt, groaning.

"Cadet (Y/n), where are you going?" Loa asked, it almost sounded concerned.

"Out, to catch up with the other two," As I said this, I rose to my feet, grabbing onto my right arm. It didn't hurt, but it did feel numb.

"In that condition, you'd be more hindrance than help," Loa told me truthfully.

I huffed, "I know. But I can't just, sit here and wait for them to get back—"

"Cadet (Y/n)," Loa cut me off sternly, at the machines tone of voice I shut up and let the program talk.

"Did you not hear me? I said trying to catch up to them now would be a fruitless attempt. You should focus on your well-being first."

I looked down, away from the spinning hologram, "Yeah, you're right, Loa." I admitted reluctantly.

"Of course I am."

I chuckled at the machine's sass, bracing myself and sliding down against the wall. Breathing out, I tried moving my hand. My finger twitched, but that was about it.

"Loa, scan please." I choked out, desperate not to let myself break at the programs answer.

"No nerve damage detected. Signs of heart attack or strokes are also undetected. Circulation is at normal levels and no other trauma is detected."

I looked down at my arm, "So it's all in my head then?"

There was a pause before Loa spoke again, "This is why Ghost piloting is not recommended."

I chuckled, gripping my arm closer to my body, "Yeah, guess so."

"I just told you—"

"Will it get better, Loa?" My voice broke as I asked the machine, not really wanting the answer but knowing I needed to hear it anyway.

"Yes. If you keep working at it, then with some effort, you'll be able to control your arm again."

I sighed in relief, "That's good, that's good." I repeated to myself in relief.

"You should get some sleep, Cadet. Rest."

I shook my head, "No, I'll work on my arm."

I tried clenching my fist, only to have a finger twitch and another bend. That was good progress, at least.