The X Pathogen

Chapter Sixteen

Saji stared at Ash. Their body seemed so small under the thin hospital sheets. Ash was still unconscious, their breathing was shaky, and on top of that the initial crash had broken one of their ribs. They'd been in the hospital for over a week. Saji hadn't left Ash's room once, even as doctors and nurses came and went, desperately trying to keep them breathing. Kyo stayed close by, checking in on both Saji and Ash every hour or so.
Nadil was stuck in the hospital as long as Kyo was there. He spent his time wandering around the facility. He tried to sneak out once but got caught pretty much right away. He seemed pretty indifferent about the whole situation, which is why Saji was surprised to see him peek inside Ash's hospital room.
"What do you want?" Saji grumbled.
"Can't I check in on my teammate without getting interrogated?" Nadil snapped. He walked over to Ash, "So... how is- are- they doing?"
Saji swallowed hard, "The doctors aren't allowed to tell me very much."
"It's not good, is it?" Nadil stared down at Ash's unconscious body. Saji couldn't see his face but his voice sounded strained.
"They've got maybe a week," her voice came out hoarse and small. Saji had never felt so helpless.
Nadil's fist clenched, "I need your help."
"What?" Saji blinked.
"I- I used to be part of the Black Rygnar Syndicate. Or I was born into it, I'm not on their side anymore, it's complicated-"
Saji moved before she could think. Her fist hit him square in the nose with a satisfying 'thwack.'
Nadil stumbled backwards clutching his now bleeding nose. "OW! I know I deserve that but, geez, just hear me out"
Saji lowered her fist, "okay, okay, fine. Talk."
"Like I said, I used to work for them. I... didn't know about this exactly but I was aware of a bio weapon being manufactured. More importantly I knew about a group of rogue scientists working against that project. There's a chance they were working on a cure to the X-pathogen, it's a long shot, I know but-"
"Rogue as in not working for criminals?" Saji narrowed her eyes skeptically.
"They didn't work for the syndicate, I swear, they were trying to stop it. If they actually exist."
"Okay to be clear, you want to go hunt down some scientists that maybe exist and maybe have a cure for Ash. Why?"
Nadil shrugged, "why not?"
"Hmph," Saji grunted, "I don't trust you."
"Do you have a choice? Because Ash doesn't have much of a chance if we don't do this."
"We?"
"If I'm gonna die, you're coming with me," Nadil laughed dryly, "we're supposed to work as a team right?"
Saji started walking, "grick, I hate this team."
Nadil jogged after her, smirking, "first of all, language. Second of all, you don't hate all of this team."
She stomped down the hallway, "what is that supposed to mean?"
"You and Ash, you get along really well, that's all." Nadil shrugged, "you're friends."
Saji pulled him behind a pillar.
"Wha-?"
She put her hand over his mouth, "hospital staff won't let us out unsupervised, remember?" She hissed, pointing to two workers walking by. Once they were safe, Saji took her hand off Nadil's mouth and quickly wiped it off.
"Okay, there's some pods we can use in the hangar," Nadil pulled her towards a lift.
    Saji eyed Nadil nervously the whole elevator ride. Their eyes met briefly. He sighed and muttered, "what did Ash tell you?"
    "Huh?" Saji stammered, "Tell me what?"
    "C'mon, they told you what I said, right?"
    "No? I'm sorry I don't know what you're talking about."
    Nadil seemed surprised, "Ash didn't-?" he smiled faintly, "guess I owe them one."
    "What are you talking about?" Saji demanded as the doors to the lift slid open.
    Nadil shook his head, "don't worry about it, just some personal stuff."
    Saji sighed but decided it was best not to push the matter any further.
    To the relief of both cadets, the hangar doors were unlocked. They managed to slip inside and board one of the small transport pods.
    Saji slid into the pilot's seat, the controls felt familiar in her hands.
    Nadil tapped her shoulder. "I'm flying, princess."
    "No way," Saji flicked a switch and started to lift the ship off the ground. "Ash did tell me what happened during the exam."
    "Like you could've done better!" Nadil snapped.
    Saji shook her head, "Anti-smuggling squads came after my owners all the time. We all had to know how to fly, they told us if we got caught we'd be killed."
    Nadil finally sat down in the copilot's seat, "what were they smuggling?"
    "Oh, you know, illegal property. Like me. And my mom." Saji steered the ship out of the hangar.
    Nadil typed coordinates into the ship's navigational system then quietly asked, "your mom?"
    Saji glanced at the coordinates and changed course to match. "Yeah."
    "So... does she know you're a cadet?" Nadil avoided looking at her as he spoke.
    Saji blinked rapidly, "no. you?"
    "Dead. Yours?"
    "What?" Saji stamered, "No! I don't think so anyways."
Nadil finally looked at her, "you don't know?"
"We got separated. I was sold when I was really young." Saji glanced at him, "the last memory I have of my mom is her screaming while slavers dragged her away from me."
"My last memory of my dad is... similar."
Saji opened a travel gate and guided the ship in before asking, "how so?"
Nadil looked away again, "forget it," he muttered.
They sat in silence as the tunnel swirled around them. Saji tried to stay focused on flying the ship. She just couldn't get the image of Ash lying in the hospital out of her head. And then there was Nadil. She couldn't understand why he was doing any of this.
"Should we talk about what the plan is here?" Nadil finally asked.
Saji nodded, "what's the plan?"
Nadil shrugged, "I don't know exactly. We're gonna have to search the forest in the northern half of the planet."
"Doesn't sound too bad."
"We have to do it on foot," Nadil added grimly.
"Wait what?!"
"Take a look at the fuel gauge," Nadil gestured to the display, "we'll be lucky to make it to the surface in one piece."
The travel gate opened and the pod exited the tunnel. Saji quickly guided the ship towards the surface of the planet.
"Remember how to put on the emergency restraints?" She asked.
Nadil started to strap himself in then paused. He groaned then stood up.
"What're you doing?!" Saji shouted.
Nadil knelt and got to work strapping Saji in. "Ash would kill me if I came back without you and I'm guessing they won't be too upset if I don't come back."
The second he finished, Saji shoved him back into his seat, "yeah but I don't know what I'm looking for so I kinda need you alive."
Nadil rolled his eyes but strapped himself in. The ship's alarms started going off and the engines started to wheeze.
"We have got to get out of the habit of crashing," Nadil muttered.
"You were flying last time!"
"No I wasn't! Agent Kyo was!"
"WHATEVER!"
The ship gave one final shudder and the engines shut off for good. "We're gonna die." Nadil's voice was remarkably calm given the circumstances.
"No. We're. NOT!" Saji jerked the controls up and extended the wing flaps. The ship managed to catch some lift and glide to the ground with the grace of a newly hatched bird. That is to say, not very gracefully at all.