Isolation-#Wattys2015

Excerpt 19- Breathing Room

The drive back to Biosphere was miserable on account of the heat, melting and re-hardening tires, the fussy V8 and my screwed up ankle. It was nearly impossible for me to clutch the car with my right foot and my left ankle hurt too much to even try. I couldn't brake and downshift, or accelerate and upshift. To do either required both my feet and that was something I didn't have. I won't tell you how many times I stalled the car out, because I don't really know, but it would make my brother angry that I couldn't drive a manual.

I sighed.

Once thing Aegean and I loved doing together was going to race his car on the weekends, when he was off from training and Mom didn't have me stuck underneath her. He always told me that he would teach me to "Drive stick" as soon as I was tall enough to reach the pedals. It made me want to cry a little with the idea that a miserable experience was what was reminding me of my older brother.

When I finally did make it back to the lab, the garage door opened and I drove the car right inside, pressing the brake and not bothering to down shift as I went through the corner. The garage door closed behind me as I clutched the car with my good foot and put it in park, shutting it off as a shirtless, peeling skinned Mike and chili pepper red Tyler came to meet me.

"You saved our asses Sky", Mike said, "figuratively and literally."

"Your welcome", I said switching off the suit and opening the door, "help me up? I screwed up my ankle really freaking bad back at Ransol."

"How so?", Tyler asked as he took my arm and pulled me up.

"Well they kept pressure at more than three times normal levels for starters", I said as we limped for the elevator, "combined with slick ass staircases."

"You slipped on a staircase?", Mike asked as he hit the button for the fourth floor.

"Yep", I answered as I leaned against the elevator wall and pulled the suit's hood off, "how's the HAVOC feel by the way?"

"Like a candy bar given to us by God himself", Mike said, "I've never been so fucking hot in my life."

"Me either", Tyler said, "we were starting to blister from how hot it was getting and Sarah even passed out."

"Was it a heat stroke?", I asked.

"We thought so at first", Tyler said, "but it was dehydration, we had a lot of electrolyte water up in the lounge, so she's fine now, but things would have been a lot worse if you hadn't been at Ransol when you were."

"I'm glad I'm back here now", I answered, "you have no idea the big freaks of science I had to fight while I was over there."

Tyler sighed, "Chemical 240 is over there too...isn't it?"

"Yes", I said, "It did some...terrifying...things to one woman."

"Don't ask don't tell", Mike said as the door clicked open, "I'll let James know. Tyler helped me limp back to the lounge where I stripped off my gear and the suit, grabbing my rain pants and a white shirt from my pack before going to sit on the couch. Sarah came in shortly after with a small first aid kit.

"What you do to your ankle?", she asked.

"Sprained it when I slipped on a stair case", I said, "it hurts like a bitch."

Sarah rolled up my pants leg and for the first time I had a good look at my injury. My ankle was swollen to the size of a small grapefruit. The black Chitin had taken on a light, red tint and just her touching it hurt.

"Ahgghh", I winced.

"Just hold still", she said.

She took a long bandage from the kit and put ointment on it before wrapping it tightly around my ankle and underneath my heel.