Out Of Reach

16: Cold Blood

Lance gasped, his breath rattling in his chest as he dragged himself out into the speckling sunlight of Krell.

"Guys!" He shouted as loudly as he could. He tugged his helmet off tossing it to one side hoping his earpiece stated in. "Anyone!"

"Lance?! Lance what's wrong?" His father demanded.

"I found Rolo." Lance explained his hands slick with blood. "I need a medical team now!"

"Where are you?"

The same damned question.

Lance grit his teeth, he reloaded his blaster, smearing blood everywhere.

The shot he fired lit up the sky the flare flashed a bright red colour leaving a trail right back to them.

"I see them." Ina informed.

Lances gaze fell back to Rolo, barely conscious, choking around his own breaths as blood seeped from...

Lance couldn't look at that. He pressed his hand as tightly as he could to the... Wound?

"Rolo? Rolo!" Lance demanded tapping the bounty hunter turned scavengers face. In the end he slapped him as hard as he could.

Rolo grimaced his eyes finally opening enough to look at Lance.

"Why did you do that?!" Lance almost growled. "Why?"

"You were gonna get hurt."

"I would have been fine!" Lance snapped tugging a bandage around Rolo's upper arm. "I would have- you didn't..."

"Yeah, yeah, whatever you say kid." Rolo mumbled his eyes flickering over the sky.

Ina's ship was lowering just off from the kicking up leaves and dust.

"Nyma needs you, Beezer too." Lance reminded sharply. "Don't you understand how much you mean to them? You're an idiot, you big..."

Ina reached his side. She recoiled at the sight of the blood. "Med team on route, hurry."

Lance shook his head. Rolos had lost too much blood. "We're gonna have to move him."

"What?"

Lance hefted Rolo's... What was left of Rolo's arm up and somehow staggered to his feet.

Rolo had always been taller than him, he was ridiculously tall and he was heavy, Lance didn't think he'd be able to walk him back. Not like this.

"Lance."

"Shut up!" Lance hissed dragging Rolo after him.

Ina stepped to Rolo's other side, taking his arm and looping it over her own shoulders.

"Kiddo-"

"I told you to shut up." Lance gasped tripping slightly. "I'm not leaving you here, you're not dying and that's final."

Rolo chose then to promptly shut up.

Lance couldn't look at him, he just kept walking.

When he spotted Krolia and Shay, leading the med team he collapsed to his knees.

"Rolo!"

Someone was there taking his place.

Two more were talking about something and Lance couldn't hear it.

He trudged after them gripping his blaster tightly.

Finally they reached the Atlas.

~~~

Shay couldn't look away from it all.

First Rolo, barely conscious and in such agony. Half his arm torn away. It made her stomach twist.