The Sleepwalker

Part Three: 17

Agent Infinity 

Fun fact: When you break a rib, it hurts to walk. It hurts to do anything, really. Infinity had broken a rib before, back when she was a field Agent in a different Aspect, but thankfully it was at the tail end of the mission so she was whisked away to receive proper medical attention, in a real medical lab, with real doctors. Not two nurses, with limited supplies, in some dorm room that was chosen because the door was slightly ajar. She also didn't want to know what not one but three broken ribs felt like.

They had to stop their trek to the girls' dorm when Jinx suddenly began gasping and wheezing. She had basically passed out and was heading for a lovely face plant on the metal floor, had Flux not caught her. He made it look so easy, with his large muscles and handsome face...

Infinity shook her head. What was wrong with her? Love equals no, she might as well forget him and save the Society the trouble.

"Quick!" Wrench instructed, pointing at a bunk bed on the side of the room they had rushed into and tearing Infinity out of her thoughts. "Get her on the mattress."

In the dim white and flashing red of the emergency lights, Fenix began to take out the medical supplies, and Key had to close the door so Cliffhanger could pull a chair up to the handle. Ferro was off to the side, going through their resources and he pulled out a thing of water. Wrench shook his head when Ferro held it up, causing the Australian Agent to give an understanding but defeated nod and put the bottle back away. Infinity knew what it was like to watch and feel the need to help even if it was just keeping someone hydrated. Only Hazard, who sat on the floor in the corner furthest from anyone, seemed to be content doing nothing, even though her face showed a little bit of worry for Jinx.

Flux laid Jinx down on the bed and stepped away. He had given his laser cannon to Quantum, and the small and skinny Agent was basically using every last bit of her strength to hold the weapon up. Thank goodness her arm was only heavily bandaged rather than in a cast. Flux picked it up with one arm, muscles flexing.

"Fenix! Get me some lidocaine patches!" Wrench shouted as he carefully zipped open the front of her jumpsuit and undid her chest bandages. They had left both Infinity's and Jinx's armor in the medbay, now that Infinity thought about it. She'd forgotten about her friend's protection and her own in all the commotion. Whatever, it wasn't like Jinx could wear it anyway. Infinity on the other hand... A jumpsuit only offered so much base protection.

Fenix opened the bag and took out four green rectangles in plastic wrap, walked to Jinx, and ripped open the packages with surgical precision. Wrench held the front of the jumpsuit lightly as Fenix put them on Jinx's bruised chest, who winced and began to flail around.

Wrench looked up right at Infinity. "We could use some help over here!"

Finally, Infinity was getting restless, just standing there and watching everyone do something. It was time to act.

She went right to Jinx and as gently as she could, held both of Jinx's hands above the injured Agent's head. Sweat plastered Jinx's black hair against her forehead.

Her eyes weakly opened and gazed up at Infinity, who looked away. She did not want to watch the tears roll down her friend's cheeks.

"Holy..." Wrench stared down at Jinx as if she was a live bomb. "She's got a flail chest."

Infinity looked at her friend's chest. The patches covered the bruises, she couldn't see what the nurse did. "Excuse me, but what the frick is flail chest?"


"It's... when two or more rib bones have two or more fractures per rib... in her case, she's got three broken ribs, and I can tell she has multiple breaks on each. Her rib cage might have even separated from the chest wall." He evidently saw Infinity's confused face, because he continued. "Basically breathing is Hell. We need to stabilize her chest. Bring me a pillow."

Key beat Infinity to the punch, and he whipped a cushion across the room. Fenix caught it and placed it on Jinx's upper torso and applied pressure.

"We'll need a belt or two for this to be..." The male nurse cocked his head sideways. "more temporary. Is anyone here religious?"

Only Ferro raised his hand. Wrench's voice came out quiet, but somehow loud in the silent room.

"Then pray for a miracle. That's the only way she'll survive. If her ribs broke away from her chest, there's nothing we can do. No ventilator, no scalpels, no bone supports, we have nothing."

A deadly silence filled the room as Fenix lightly but seemingly firmly pushed the pillow against Jinx's bruised chest and Infinity held Jinx's arms above her head.

Key pulled his belt from his pants, as did Infinity, and they brought them both over to Wrench as if they were some sort of sacrifice. The room was silent, save for Jinx's ragged breathing. Infinity saw Cliff's hand go to his own buckle, but ultimately he did not offer it for Jinx's health.

Fenix took the belts and put them around the pillow, tightening them in the middle about two inches apart. Wrench helped, but soon let go. Jinx still looked like she was in immense pain, but at least her breathing seemed to go slightly back to normal.

Infinity released a sigh of relief, as did the others.

"Stabilizing," Wrench whispered, then he repeated it louder. "She's stabilizing. We did it, she's safe... for now."

Key stepped up, looking annoyed. "Does everything you say have to be cryptic?"

Wrench held his hands up as if trying to diffuse Key's sudden outburst. "Sorry, I -"

Key sighed and waved a hand. "It's... fine. Thanks for patching her up." He paused. "Sorry for shouting. I'm under a lot of tension."

"We all are, Key," Quantum said, lightly laying a hand on his shoulder. "You aren't alone in this."

Infinity saw his right hand inconspicuously travel to his pocket, where his bone knife was hooked, but she and he didn't say anything. Her eyes also traveled to the long scar on his neck, which was briefly visible from under his jumpsuit's black collar. His armor was scuffed and covered in brown... chocolate? Point is, the armor usually pushed his collar against his neck, so seeing the scar was rare. Infinity wondered how he got it, and if it was somehow connected to his Crick-bone-knife, but realized it was none of her business. It wasn't that she didn't care; She just wanted to respect others' privacy. She of course had her own share of scars, but most were in places she wouldn't normally show to the public.

"Well," Cliffhanger said, cutting through the silence as if his word was a blade, "we should get a move on..."

Key sharply spun around to face Cliff, arms up in a 'dude what the frick' gesture.

"'Get a move on'? How're we going to do that when she's in critical condition?"

Infinity didn't think it was a question, but more of a statement.

Cliff turned his cold blue eyes on Key, looking calm. "We need Quantum's Prototype. For the greater good. How many more could monsters like the Sleepwalker be killing as we talk here?"

Key scratched the stubble on his chin, looking at Jinx. "I'm not leaving her. This is my squad, so it's my squad's decision."

"I feel like your emotions are clouding your judgment."

"Emotions don't have anything to do with it!"

"Something has something to do with it. And what, pray tell, is it?" Cliff asked, not breaking eye contact.

"It's called being a decent human being and preserving another's life!"

Cliff's thin line of a mouth twitched. "I would sacrifice myself and everyone else on this ship just to kill the Sleepwalker or any other beast. I will not hesitate to pull the trigger on a divergence even if you, or her, were in the way."

Key's face was really close to the other Agent's own. "Then maybe... Just maybe... That's the line that separates me from you." Key poked his own chest when he said 'me' and pointed at Cliff's when he said 'you'.

Infinity could taste the tension in the air, and she knew that things might get violent between two muscular, testosterone-overflowing men. So she stepped in between them and placed a palm on each of their chests, pushing them away from each other. She was not, in any case, a 'small' woman. Being a guard in the Dark Chamber required one's physique to be in tip-top shape. But alas, she was smaller than both men, as it usually was. It took a solid effort to separate the Agents.

"Alright, boys, chill, alright? Chill." She grunted. "Men and women are dying, and you two seem keen on racing each other to see who can kill each other before the divergences do."

They both said nothing but did eventually 'chill' out, as they stopped straining against Infinity. It wasn't good but it was a start, and Infinity had learned in the past to not get too particular with these sorts of things.

Key eventually moved first, going to stand at Jinx's bedside. Cliff walked the opposite way, sitting on a bunk beside Ferro and Flux, the latter of which gave a pained smile at the Egyptian, who did not return the expression.

"We should get some rest," Quantum said, speaking aloud what was probably on everyone's mind. When was the last time Infinity slept? Time was wonky in space, but it was probably about forty hours ago. The Society should definitely add a clock to their Nebulium arms.

There were not enough beds in the bedroom, as there were (in most cases) only four beds in each room, so Cliff took his group (and Hazard) across the hall to another room. Quantum reasoned that Hazard should go with Flux because Flux was Flux. Infinity almost asked to go with them but decided to stay with Jinx, Key, and Quantum, along with the two nurses.

Wrench hit the hay first. He told Key that should Jinx stir, he was to be awoken immediately. Fenix took the bunk below him. Infinity, however, shared a bed with Quan because even still they didn't have enough beds. Which was fine, as Quantum's thin frame left ample room for Infinity.

She fell asleep watching Key pace between Jinx and the doorway, holding tight to his white bone knife. In the dim white and red lights, She swore that it was growing and molding in his very hand, but dismissed the thought as a pre-sleep dream, a hallucination, if you will, and promptly slipped into the land of her mind, where memories and dreams lived alongside each other.