THE FALL OF ROSENROT STATION

THE FIVEFOLD PATH

He was slumped against the loader the polished metal cold at his back despite the thickness of his coveralls. He leaned back and reached up to touch his face, trailing the burned skin with his fingertips.

Does it hurt.

He looked up slowly. The synthetic stood there, her face lit with a soft glow of palely reflected and diffuse light. She held a light in her hand and she panned the light down tracing his body and then returned it to his face. After a moment she removed the light.

It does. He said. Which is good.

She knelt and removed the bag from her shoulder placing it on the floor beside him. He tilted his head down to follow her movements. She was precise and methodical without being slow like a human would be. There was a click as she opened the medkit. She paused for a moment studying the contents then selecting an applicator of a certain emulsion he could not see which. She held up her light a moment and read something off under her breath lips moving in indecipherable script to her thoughts. She dropped the light to his face again. The light dazzled his eyes and for a moment he could see nothing beyond its glare. He felt something touch his cheek cold and smooth. He could not stop himself from flinching jerking his face to the left.

I know. She said.

But hold still so I can do this proper.

He looked up into that circle of light and then nodded slowly. He tilted his face for her and set his jaw. A moment later there was a flare of pain. Then some cool deadness spread across that side of his face as various sopherics and anaesthetics began filtering in through the scorched layers of skin. He breathed a deep sigh and the tension went out of his muscles as he relaxed back against the loader.

The next thing he was aware of someone was touching his shoulder. His hand shot out and grabbed them by the wrist. He opened his eyes and looked up. Sarah looked back at him a hurt look on her face.

His grip loosened but he did not let go. He spent a long moment staring into her eyes as if searching for something there but if there was anything to see he did not find it. After a moment he looked down.

Nico is gone. He said.

Are you sure.

He turned and with a grunt pushed himself to his feet and stood unsteadily. His carbine was unstrapped from his chest and he held dangling from one hand the muzzle dragging the floor.

I saw him fall. He paused. We have to find his body.

She looked at him. Is that nesecary. You and him hardly seemed friends.

It is. He said. He looked at her. Not for that, but because he probably has something on him we I need.

Then we need to get across. He gestured out into the hundreds of meters of darkness around them in any direction.

Do you think there are more. She looked around, shining her light. It reached twenty maybe twenty five meters before it was swallowed into nothingness, by darkness, and by slow moving clouds of vapour that reduced that twenty five meters to less than ten in those directions. Perhaps it would be better Even thought if there was more of the mist. At least it would hide them also.

He shook his head. We would all be dead if there were. But they will notice that their agent is dead. Depends how often he checked in. I wonder what they were protecting. He feel silent. After a few minutes he lifted his carbine and pointed it over to the left of them where a stream of that mist was curling from a vent in the floor. Nico was over there. He said.

He waited as Sarah gathered up the medkit and bag and then turned the direction he had indicated and began to make his way over. He had his light on scanning the floor and along the wall on the left as he made his way over.