naratif [ejen ali]

do you hear

Poem by Shattered Blue Gem

Can the silent learn to speak?

Zass is leaning over my face; his front bangs nearly brushing my forehead. I told him he should get a haircut coz it's nearly covering his eyes. His fingers are brushing the stray locks away from my sight.

Speaking about his eyes, it's rare to see them being this wide. Wait? Is that panic I see? The corners of his eyes are watery. Zass is crying. Or maybe he's sweating? He ran around a lot so he always came back to base full of sweat. Where is the amused glint I always see? I don't know. It's hard to focus.

Can the deaf hear at a peak?

It's noisy, it's so noisy. What is happening? I try to get up from my reclining position. I need to check if everyone is okay. That big, ugly machine appears to be a decoy to lure us all out. Fricking dirty bastards, they won't stop till they get the last of us. A hand pushes me down, stopping me from sitting up.

I hear cries. Or is it a siren?

This is bad! The sirens won't be activated if they didn't know we're here. We need to run!

Can those oblivious see?

I blink, trying to get rid of the bleariness clouding over my sight. Then, I see Rudy. His mouth is moving. What is it? What is he saying?

I feel hands pressing and probing over my abdomen. The sound of fabric being torn apart echoes and suddenly I feel cold air hitting my chest and stomach. My hand flings around, trying to stop the person who is trying to do something to me.

Ah, it's Alicia. I expect a scowl on her face. She always makes that face whenever I mess up. Instead, I see worry. She worries a lot these days. I mean, we all do. When the world falls, you'll have to constantly think of ways to survive.

I would love to see her smile again.

I hear shouts and screams.

Will anyone answer this for me?

"Ali! Ali!"

I hear her voice calling to me. It sounds urgent. I want to reply. I want to respond to that voice. A harsh cough comes out. There's a taste of metal on my tongue.

"Ali! Can you hear me?"

"Don't let him fall unconscious! Zass, keep shaking him!"

"Jet, how deep is it?"

"He's barely lucky. A few inches to the left and it might have punctured his liver."

"Chris, are you done?"

"Not yet! Gimme a sec!"

"Hurry up! We need to cauterize the wound!"

"Okay, yeah! I'm done! Here."

Does the world know it's dying?

"One, two!"

A fresh pain ruptured through my stomach out of the blue and I screamed. It's too painful. Oh my god it hurts. It hurts! What is that?!

The pain is replaced with something so blindingly hot I scream again. My body recoils, trying to get away but they hold me in place. I could hear my skin sizzle against the thing and the smell of burning flesh wafts around. What a sickening smell. The exact same scent when we found the room where the bodies of young agents were left to die.

The effect of the pain leaves me panting and struggling to breathe properly.

Or can people only see those in pain as a nuisance crying?

"We need to wrap the wound. Alicia, do we still have clean clothes in our kit?"

Another sound of torn fabric and I feel hands around my waist and hip, lifting my torso slightly before someone wraps a cloth around my stomach.

"I take it that we don't have any sedatives left?"

"I'm afraid we're out of them."

"I could try knocking him back to sleep."

"Jet, I'll tear open the stitches on your back if you do that."

"Woah, I'm joking, Alicia."

We are all greedy in our own way,

I lie there on Zass's lap, still trying to get my breath even. In, and out. In, and out. In, and out. In, and out. It's like learning how to breathe for the first time.

Rudy materializes beside us and places a small towel on my chest.

"It's gonna be okay, bud. We extracted the piece of junk out of you and burn the wound. It'll take time to heal so don't move around too much."

I open my mouth to say something but he waves me off.

"Yeah, I know what you're gonna say. It's no big deal. We're even now. I paid my debt to you."

I shut my mouth. Tiredness washes over me and I have no strength to argue with him further.

Never letting our greed sway.

"Ali, how are you holding up?"

Iman sits near us. I try to smile, but even stretching my lips feels like a million years. Zass gives her a thumbs-up on my behalf. The girl sighs in relief, but the frown on her face stays.

I'm tired of seeing the same expression every day. I miss everyone's smiling face. I hate the frown and gloom they always carry around. If there is a day where everyone will go back to being happy and cheerful again, then I'll be damned if I could not survive till that day actually arrives.

_______________________________________________________

A/N

Ali is horribly injured.

An AU where MATA falls, followed up by Cyberaya and the young agents (aged up in this timeline) has to rely on each other to survive. When MATA falls, the enemy hunts their agents and many of them have been killed, even the new recruits.