Jupiter [Marvel Phase I]

twenty-five.

For three endless seconds, the flat was dead silent. Then, an ear-splitting crash of thunder rattled the windows. Jenn jumped, not at the sound, but at the scene revealed in lightning.

"Oh my god, Harry!" She tripped over her own feet like she tripped over her words, rushing over to the shadowy form on the ground because she couldn't reach him fast enough. "I thought you were-"

And that was when she saw it - the dark pool spreading out around Harry's body. A wave of vertigo crashed over her. Jenn couldn't recall any other time seeing blood had made her feel woozy, but there was so much-

"Is that...Jenn, is that you?" A weak voice croaked.

Instantly, the lightheadedness cleared. Jenn dropped down beside Harry, placing a hand on his chest. She didn't know if he could see her or not, so she wanted him to be aware of her presence. "Shh, I'm here," Jenn told him. "Don't strain yourself."

His shirt was wet, but that was no longer the most pressing concern. Harry felt cold to the touch. Jenn shivered at the realization of what it meant.

"What happened? What do you remember?" Jenn added. "Briefly. Try not to speak too much."

"Got shot," Harry mumbled.

"Well, I can see that," Jenn hissed back.

The bullet hole was easy to spot, a torn slice of fabric below his left shoulder. It was the origin of most of the blood on his chest. Worse still were the bubbles seeping up from the wound. His lung had been punctured. And that might not have even been the worst of it. She needed to find the exit wound, if there was one. Jenn prayed there was - a through-and-through was always preferable.

"Alright, Harry, I'm going to roll you over," Jenn warned. But the moment she lifted him, he let out a pitiful cry. "Okay, okay," she assured Harry, resting him on her knees instead. Her hands traced soothing patterns over his arms while she tried to think. What was she supposed to do next? "Dammit," Jenn cried, hearing the prelude to tears in her voice. "I need to- I need to do something! Why did C.E.N.T.R.E. never teach me first aid?"

Fifteen years of training invested in her. They taught her to fight armed attackers and dismantle security systems and speak several languages conversationally. But never to heal.

"Idiot!" Jenn exclaimed suddenly as the answer came to her. She pulled her mobile from her pocket and phoned for an ambulance. The call picked up on the second ring and Jenn blurted out their address and situation before the operator had finished his greeting.

"Stay put, ma'am," he replied in a frustratingly even tone. "An ambulance is already on its way. Are you with the victim now?" Jenn gave a frantic affirmative. "What is his condition? We're going to try to stabilize him while we wait for help to arrive."

"He's lost..." Jenn drew a shaky breath. "He's lost a lot of blood. And he's conscious now, but I don't think he was when I got here. I can't turn him over, so I have no idea where the exit wound-"

The operator cut her off with a firm, "Ma'am, please remain calm. We've already been alerted to a gunshot at your address, so emergency services are en route. Now, can you get the victim flat on his back?"

"I don't need you to walk me through CPR!" Jenn cried, watching as Harry's head started lolling to the side. "It's a thoracic wound, I could fracture a rib!" Harry's eyes fluttered and- "No, no, no!"

A burst of static cut across whatever the operator was about to say. Sparks flew from the device in Jenn's hand. She threw it away from herself with a startled sound, only to let out a cry of anguish when she realized she'd just fried her own mobile.