WORLD 4: AWAKENING
Chapter Twenty-Two: Aftermath

Baylen ran to find something we could tie up Arison with. I stood over his unconscious body. Blood was dripping out of the final hit to his face. His eyes were softly shut, his body calm. If the dirt and bloody mess were taken off of him, his relaxed expression didn’t look all that terrible. Normal, even.

My father put his arm around me from the side and I leaned my head on his shoulder.

“How did Colony Three not realize how evil he was? They should have just left him behind to die on A-Day,” I said quietly.

He stroked my arm. “We can’t always see the evil around us. Even with people like him. All we can do is try and spread the good that’s inside of us and hope the world will follow.” He faced me and pulled my chin up to him. “Can you imagine if everyone did that? That’s how evil is stopped from ever rising in the first place.”

“I just can’t believe this all happened.”

“I’m so sorry,” he said and wrapped both arms very gently around me. “For everything. For leaving you. I saw you hit Trace and assumed you’d knocked him out, but I was stupid to leave. I should have just let Arison run off and stayed to help you. I don’t know if I’ll ever forgive myself.”

“No Dad, don’t be sorry,” I assured him. “I would have died if it meant that Arison didn’t get away.”

My father’s face as he pulled back was full of grief and regret — he knew I meant what I’d said. He sighed. “I thought you were safe on the expedition. I never imagined he would know where to find you.” He closed his eyes. “I’m so sorry, May.”

“I’m okay now, Dad. Don’t worry about me anymore.”

“I’ve got it!” said Baylen. He sprinted to us with a length of cord in one hand. “Help me with this, Commander.”

They wound the cord around Arison’s wrists and connected it to his ankles behind his back.

“What do we do about his people outside?” asked Baylen.

“They have hostages,” I said weakly.

My father’s face flooded with hope. “Are you sure? Did you see them?”

“No, but Arison told me before he started on my hand. They’re being held in a couple of the shelters.”

Baylen whistled as he took in more of a detailed glimpse of my injuries. The entire right side of my warming shirt was covered in blood. He kissed me on the side of my head. “We need to get the few Protection Officers left on board and form a plan to fight out there. Even with small numbers we should be able to take Arison’s people down if we’re smart about it. We’ll kill as many as possible and get the hostages out.”

My father began to lead us through the stations of Tech Lev. “We offer a surrender first.”

Baylen scoffed. “What for? They didn’t exactly offer to let me surrender. Or your daughter, either.”

My father held out an arm to stop Baylen. He turned to him and spoke strongly. “We must always be the better people, Baylen. Always. The moment we start slaughtering everyone like they did is the moment we become just like them. Got it?”

Baylen lowered his eyes and nodded. Suddenly, a wave of nausea came over me.

I swayed a little on my feet. “Hey guys, I don’t —”

The doors to Tech Lev slid open and my father immediately had his weapon up. “Let me see your hands, now!!!”

“Commander!” Gabring cried out in surprise. “It’s good to see you, sir!”

My father sighed in relief and lowered the ABW. “You too, Officer.”

“You’re okay!” Gabring shouted to Baylen incredulously.

Baylen laughed and brought him in for a hug. “I could say the same to you, man!” He looked Gabring up and down; his face carried the bruising evidence of a fight. “Actually, maybe not. What happened to you out there?”

“Oh, this is nothing. What happened to you guys? I followed a blood trail here all the way from the main doors.”

“Baylen!” cried Miles. He was running inside and brought Baylen in for a violent hug.

Baylen stared at him in disbelief. “Miles, you’re alive! How did you get inside?”

“It doesn’t matter — we need to get back out.”

My father got right down to business. He gripped his Air Burst Weapon tightly. “Tell me what our status is outside.”

Gabring looked at Miles. “I found Miles hiding in the trees, like I’d been. I was able to take down some green shirt wandering camp and gave Miles his ABW. We snuck our way to the Colony doors.”

“Well, I had to beat the crap out of some red shirt by the doors first,” said Miles, beaming.

Gabring furrowed his brow the tiniest bit. “Right. Anyway, I got a message to the handful of Protection Officers we’ve got left on board to ready themselves. They’re in Protection Level now.”

“How many of Arison’s people did you see outside?” asked Baylen.

“From what I saw yesterday, my guess is about fifty, but I think most of them are hiding out in shelters.”

My father thought for a second, then straightened up with an idea. “Mayla, you said they’re holding hostages?”

“Yeah, supposedly.”

He turned to Gabring again, animated. “If we can somehow get into those shelters, we can arm the hostages and then —”

“And then we’ve got an army,” Gabring finished, exploding into a smile. “Great idea, Commander.”

“We’ll have to either bring out enough ABWs for the hostages, or break into Protection Shelter to get some,” said Baylen, jumping in on the excitement.

“Agreed,” said my father. “We need to fight smart as soon as we exit those doors, use our heads, be as quiet as possible.”

“Let’s do it,” said Baylen.

“Wait!” Gabring exclaimed as my father started toward the Level’s exit. He shifted his weight uncomfortably. “It’s Senior Officer Ebie, sir…we saw her out there, working with Arison’s people.”

My father’s eyes went to the floor. “Yes…thank you, Gabring.”

Gabring nodded, giving my father time to process it. “Alright, let’s go.”

We moved as a group through Tech Lev, determined and ready to fight. Except for me — my head had started to spin a little as soon as I took my first steps. I held onto my father’s arm for support.

As we came to the corridor transport, Baylen took me from my father. “Get to Med Lev right now, okay, you look pretty bad.”

I nodded and came close to him, desperation to my voice. “Do you have to go? I can’t lose you again, Baylen.”

He put a hand on my pale cheek. “I’ll come back,” he whispered. “But you’ve got to go get help, right now.”

I grabbed his face with my good hand and pulled him in for a soft kiss, not caring anymore whether or not anyone was watching. I smiled as widely as my weakened body would allow me to. “Please be careful.”

“I will.” He turned to leave, then spun back around again. “I forgot! My dad — he’s alive!”

“What?” I did a double take. “But…I watched him die.”

He shook his head and gave a single chuckle. “It’s amazing, he was able to make it to Med Shelter and used one of those thermal tools you guys have. He stopped the bleeding enough and we killed Oberon. He’s dead, May!”

“Oberon’s dead?” my father asked quickly.

“Yep!” exclaimed Baylen.

“Well done, Baylen. Now let’s go.” My father reached out and squeezed Baylen’s shoulder, then pressed his fingers to the corridor transport. It lit up, pulsing white.

“Wait!” I could barely get the words out, I was so weak. “The Thermal Arrester may have saved him, but it won’t keep him alive permanently. He needs surgery, right now.”

“Okay,” Baylen said, looking me up and down again. “I’ll find him and get him to Med Lev, I promise. But you’ve got to get there now — right now. Alright?”

“I will, but please find him as fast as you can.” I couldn’t stand the thought of Wes hurt, alone, just waiting for someone to help him out there.

“Maybe I should call someone to help you get there, Mayla,” said my father. Any idiot could see how badly I was doing. The transport doors opened and he looked behind him, unsure of what to do.

“No, you guys go. You’ve got get out there as soon as possible. I swear I’m fine, I can get to Med Lev right now, I promise.”

Finally, my father relented. “Okay, but now — go right now.”

“I promise,” I assured him again.

Baylen touched my cheek once more before backing into the transport with the others. I used every ounce of strength I could muster to stand up straighter and give a convincing smile. The second the doors shut, I leaned against the wall with a painful cry, tears of pain beginning to roll down my cheeks.

My legs stumbled onward to the next corridor transport down the hallway. I had to get there. Slumping against the door’s frame as I finally reached them, I touched the wall pad, smearing blood on its white, glowing surface.

Once inside, I pressed my back against the wall, trying to take weight off my legs to save energy. I’d lost a huge amount of blood and had greatly underestimated the extent of how badly I was doing. Adrenaline can do amazing things — like make you forget that you’re bleeding to death — until it wears off.

By the time the doors opened into the long Med Lev hallway, everything had started to spin. Gray walls on all sides were moving; I couldn’t make sense of which way exactly I should stumble to reach the main Level doors. My warming shirt was so soaked with blood that it had started to drip all over the place just like my hand was.

I didn’t even feel myself falling to the floor. My body felt like it was floating along mid-air, almost like I was flying. It was wonderful. My shoulder finally didn’t hurt anymore. All I wanted was sleep…the light drifted out and I finally gave myself over to the darkness as it enveloped me.

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