Afterimage: A Baxter's Phantoms Story

Chapter 8

A jet of blue flame shot out of the Stalker as Bjorn ejected. The rocket-powered seat shrieked upward, turning at a slight angle. It slammed into the upper bulkhead with terrible, bone-shattering force. For a moment it froze in midair, wedged between the wall and ceiling as the rocket burned for five agonizing seconds, then fell back down toward the deck as the engine cut out. A parachute deployed, but in the confines of the mechbay it lacked the altitude to deploy and slow Bjorn's descent. He plummeted like a stone, and he would have crashed to the floor had his parachute not snagged on the Stalker's catwalk. He dangled less than a meter above the deck, slumped over lifelessly in his seat.

Michael leaped out of his Nightsky and clambered down the surface of the 'mech, using the external handholds to reach the bottom more quickly. He sprinted toward the Stalker, but to his surprise Eva was already there. The diminutive tactical officer pulled a knife from her belt, slashing Bjorn's restraint harness. Normally his massive form, made even bulkier by his cooling suit, would have crushed her beneath it, but she somehow managed to lower him to the deck with ease. Michael didn't have time to admire her adrenaline-fueled feat. He knelt at Bjorn's side, checking his body for damage. He pressed two fingers against his wrist, and breathed a sigh of relief as he found a pulse. He turned to one side and called over his shoulder.

"Miranda! Get over here! He's still alive!"

Miranda wasn't far behind. She quickly rushed to where Bjorn was lying supine on the floor and gave him a rapid assessment. Her hands flew over his body, pressing on specific points to test for breaks and ruptures. She shook her head and frowned.

"I can't tell much from here, but after an impact like that he's all but guaranteed to have a broken spine," she said.

"His breathing is very weak," said Eva, her voice audibly quivering as she held her hand near his nostrils. "Shouldn't we get his neurohelmet off?"

"Not yet," said Miranda. "Damn thing probably saved his life. It's keeping his cervical spine immobilized. If we take it off now we risk doing even more damage when we move him." She reached out and touched Eva's shoulder. "Go grab a lid off one of the empty cargo crates in the hold and three ratchet straps. We'll tie him down and move him to the sickbay."

Eva nodded and sprinted away. Halver hovered nearby, his face ashen white as he stared blankly at the body of his brother. "Oh, god..." he whispered. "Oh, god, Bjorn..." Tears stung at his eyes, and his hands clawed at the sides of his face.

Michael felt a deep sense of dread and regret simmer in the pit of his stomach. An irrepressible haze of guilt settled over his mind, gnawing at his heart. A hand snatched the back of his cooling vest, hauling him upright. Halver nearly threw him across the mechbay, then dove on top of him as soon as he hit the deck. He sat on Michael's chest, his fists hammering his face one after the other.

"You son of a bitch!" he cried. "This is all your fault! I tried to tell you something like this would happen! I told you! And you threatened me! I'll kill you, you piece of-"

He never got to finish the sentence. Miranda's boot slammed into his jaw with a sickening crack, and he collapsed in a senseless heap. Michael pulled himself out from beneath his unconscious form, spitting blood.

"Are you alright?" asked Miranda.

Michael shook his head, a thousand yard stare in his eyes. "This is my fault, Miranda," he croaked. "Halver's right. He tried to warn me and I wouldn't listen. My god, what have I done?"

Miranda wanted to say something, to offer up some words of comfort, but before she could think of anything fitting Eva returned with the supplies. Following Miranda's instructions, they slid the straight metal sheet under Bjorn, then secured him to it with the straps. Between the three of them they lifted him and carried his broken body to the sickbay. They carefully moved him onto one of the medical beds, and Miranda waved Michael and Eva away.