The Boy from the Bunker - Season 8

Episode Six, Part 4:

Episode Six, Part 4:
Love is Just a Way to Die

You'll always remember the moment God took 
her away. For the weight of the world was 
placed on your shoulders that day.

"Hey, Ammon?"

A tender voice slowly broke Kodiak out of his state of shock. He flinched as Xander placed his hand on his shoulder, completely forgetting that the rest of the world still existed amid his mourning.

"You're okay."

"She's dead."

"I know. You're going to be okay. Take my hand."

Kodiak looked down at his own hand, wondering if Xander realised exactly how much blood was covering his skin. But Xander nodded, emphasising his waiting hand, and latched onto his friend, bring him to his feet. It was as if he wasn't bothered by whatever mess Kodiak had found himself in and the only thing that mattered was making sure he was okay.

"Let's get you to your dorm," he said, pulling off his own jacket and slinging it around Kodiak's shoulders knowing that the combination of the water, coldness, and shock would do no favours for him.

"No, I have to be with Elara!" Kodiak insisted, suddenly afraid that Athena had given him instructions to keep Kodiak away from her.

"You should get cleaned up; have a shower; take a deep breath. We'll figure this all out-"

"I'm not going anywhere except to where Elara is."

"Okay..." Xander said, not knowing if should try harder at keeping Kodiak away. "Okay, I'll take you to her. Come on."

Kodiak struggled to keep his balance as he followed Xander inside, not sure if he would be able to carry himself if it wasn't for Xander's arm slung around his shoulder. Even though he knew where every hallway in the damn ship led to, as they walked towards the medical wing where Elara was taken, Kodiak felt as though he didn't recognise a thing he passed, and if he was alone, he worried he wouldn't have been able to find his way back to her.

But finally, Xander opened the door to the operating room, revealing several of Neptunum's doctors working on Elara, giving their best efforts to stop her bleeding and sew up her bullet wound.

Kodiak felt sick to his stomach; he felt like he could have died just looking at her, but he couldn't bring himself to turn away. He didn't believe in the combination; he didn't believe that any part of Athena's mission was at all possible, but he would believe in it for Elara; if it would bring her back.

The doctors attached all kinds of needles to Elara, shoving a long tube down her throat that was connected to a ventilator. Kodiak could see her chest begin to move again shortly after, and even though he knew that it was just her body that was revived, he felt a slither of relief consume him, against all odds.

A long while passed as the doctors continued working on Elara, but Kodiak couldn't bring himself to move from where he was standing - not even to take a seat on the bench beside the wall. When the surgery was finally drawing near to its end, Athena made her way over, slightly nervous as she tried to figure out how long Kodiak had been there, watching on.

"They're almost finished in here," Athena informed him. She moved her hand up to rest it on his shoulder, but the glare from Kodiak was enough to let her know that it would be a mistake.

"I really am sorry, Ammon," Athena apologised. "If I knew it would hurt you like this, I'd go back and stop myself. I thought she had manipulated you into taking her out of her cell. I thought she was going to attack you... Leander came and told me that you found him passed out in the control room, so we investigated it. Three guards were found shoved into a storage closet - all of them killed. I acted on instincts and they were wrong, and you suffered because of that. But I'll do what I can to ensure the combination works on her."