“No, no, noooo. Leave me alone. I don’t want too; I don’t want too. Please let me die, please let me die, please let me…” words tumbled out of her mouth in a near unintelligible stream as she flailed weakly against the restraints holding her into the medical pod.

“Shhh, shhh shhh… hey, calm down. Calm down, you’re safe now. You’re safe… I’m not going to hurt you…” Ethan, who’d almost lost his grip on the med pod when the woman woke up, gripped onto the edge tightly to keep himself from tumbling all the way down the tower, and spoke soothingly to the distraught woman.

As the seconds dragged into minutes, Ethan was glad he hadn't undone her restraints before trying to wake her up. Since the floor was now the wall, instead of lying down in her unit, the frantically thrashing woman was in a near standing position. If she hadn't been restrained, she might have sent them both tumbling to their deaths.

Climbing into the pod, Ethan dug his booted feet into the corners and braced his knees out to the sides. He didn’t want to be dislodged, but also needed his hands free to hold the woman. Wrapping his arms around her in a restraining hug, he talked soothingly too her, like he might talk to a frightened animal, as he kept her from hurting herself in her struggles.

“…I never agreed to this… you can’t do this to me…just let me die…let me die…die…” several minutes later, her struggling slowed down, and she went inert in his arms. Worried that she’d died on him, Ethan looked into her natural left eye, and grabbed her wrist to feel for a pulse. He wasn’t exactly sure what he was looking for, but he’d seen this done on holo dramas several times. In the end, it was the steady rise and fall of her chest that let him know she was still breathing.

Letting out a sigh of relief, Ethan only now began to wonder if he’d done the right thing in waking the poor girl up. Running his eyes over her body, he could tell her condition had improved, but she was far from cured. Let alone being restored to full health. Could he save her, or was he just consigning her to more pain before she died anyway?

“No,” he said the words out loud, needing to convince himself as much as anyone that he was doing the right thing. “I will save you. The stoats helped. I just need to get you back to Luna. Then we can feed you kill energy until you’re all better.” He didn’t think she could hear him, but continued talking to her as he pulled the lab coat out of his bag and undid her arm restraints.

“I’m going to put some clothes on you, ok?” He said, still speaking soothingly as he slipped the lab coat over one prosthetic arm after the other, before zipping it closed over her bare, scarred, and emaciated chest. “Now bear with me for just a little longer ok,” he said as he looked for the best way to get her down. “I just need to find a path for…” His voice petered out when he saw Ensign Leo Davis stirring below.

Rage boiled up in Ethan at the sight of the man in an earth’s navy skinsuit. Rage, born from what had happened to the woman before him, and the nine other men and women who hadn't survived tell now. Ethan seethed, mind going back to his own past. To his own feelings of inadequacy and helplessness at being diagnosed with the wasting disease. Feeling his muscles failing him, and his body withering away, without a single thing he could do apart from delay the inevitable as long as possible.

He remembered, some three years ago, when he’d first been diagnosed. He’d been visited by medical professionals from not only the Moon, but Mars, and Earth as well. They’d all offered to hospitalize him, to help him as much as they could… if only he’d agree to be a test subject for them to learn more about the disease. The wasting disease was unique to the moon. No one from Earth or Mars had ever been diagnosed with it. He’d been too distraught to think about it at the time, but why did they care so much about a disease their people had never contracted? Could what happened to these people have been his fate if he’d agreed, if he hadn't decided to die with his dignity intact?

Ethan’s mind raced through a jumble of unrelated and unfocused thoughts. While below, Ensign Davis slowly got to his feet and looked around himself, eyes going straight for the ration packs Ethan had left for him and diving for them like the war dog had dove onto his arm earlier. Seeing the young man’s ravenous appetite, so soon after looking at a woman who’s bones could clearly be seen through the skin was more than Ethan could handle, and he snapped.

It was too much. Why was it that young punk got to eat while this woman starved? Why was it that he got to survive while everyone else on this ship died? Why was it that he, a worthless shuttle driver got to live while an entire team of professional warriors were killed before ever being given a chance? His thoughts jumbled together, mixing up his anger at what had been done to these people, with his own survival guilt, and it all converged on Ensign Davis.

Letting go of the pod with a snarl, Ethan all but ran down the steep slope towards the frantically eating young officer. Three rooms, and more than one hundred twenty feet separated them. One hundred twenty feet down a nearly vertical surface that had taken him twenty minutes to carefully maneuver up to the top of the broken tower.

The descent was much faster. Each move made on instinctual rage alone, as he all but ran straight down the slightly angled wall towards his target. A man who only saw him coming when he was two feet away, since he was lying on his uninjured side, frantically shoveling the food into his mouth.

When he finally did see the meteor of rage descending towards him, it was already too late. He couldn’t move, and with his hands and mouth full of food, and his shoulder wound barely having time to clot, he was helpless as a pair of boots slammed down on either side of his head and an antique pistol appeared, pointing between his eyes.

“What did you do to those people?” Ethan roared into his face from inches away. Gun out and pointed at the suddenly choking young man. Grabbing a full handful of the man’s skinsuit, Ethan hoisted him off the ground and turning, slammed him against the wall he’d just run down. “I asked you a question.” He growled, bringing his face up close and personal to the now whimpering young man, who looked little older than a kid right now.

“N…Nothing. I, I didn’t do anything…I, I don’t know what you’re talking about. What…what people? Are… are you talking about the people in the storage room? That wasn’t me, they died during the crash, I swear. I had nothing to do with it. I… I blacked out when… whatever it was happened. We must have gotten shot down. I figured we’re on the planet, right?... I mean, when I woke up, they were all dead. I only put them down there because the… the smell was…” his words were cut off by a violent shake as Ethan growled in frustration.

“No, damn it.” Throwing the kid onto the floor again, Ethan vaulted upwards, moving from desk to desk up the vertical surface like a monkey. He barely registered how easily he moved, once more acting purely on instinct. Vaulting through the hatch, he entered the operating room. Eyes going right to the corner that contained the three bodies. Without ceremony, he threw the doctors aside to reach the partially dissected, and naked woman. Disregarding the organs, both real and rotting, and artificial alike that were hanging out of her chest cavity, he grabbed her up around the waist and dragged her with him as he dropped back into the office cabin below.

“These people.” He all but screamed as he dropped her body on top of the quivering man.

“Oh my…” The kid panicked when the body hit him, he scrabbled back, pushing the dead woman away and stared at her in horror. Then rolled over and threw up what little rations he’d managed to eat. “Oh my… what… what happened to him, or her?... this is… oh gosh…” he threw up again, only now all that came up was some sour smelling stomach acid. The kid was bawling, lying on his back, he pushed himself away until his back hit a wall and then whimpered as Ethan moved towards him.

“What. Did, You. Do. Too. Them?” Ethan ground out a single word with each step he took towards the young man, who by the looks of things had just pissed himself.

“I… I… I didn’t do anything… Terra blessed, I’m not even from this department! I’m just a tech. I got called down here to fix a medical unit or something that malfunctioned. The area was restricted. I’d never even been on this level before the battle… I didn’t even make it to the compartment with the problem. I was escorted to this room by security when the whole ship rocked. Felt like we were breaking up, oh sweet Terra man, please. I didn’t do anything. When I woke up, I was surrounded by a bunch of dead strangers and there were little green men climbing in through the hatch….”

Ethan listened to the kid babble. He continued on for quite some time, telling him more information than he’d ever have wanted to know. When he finally finished spilling his figurative and literal guts, he curled in on himself and began sobbing. Deep wracking sobs, with tears and snot mixed in. He looked so pathetic, the rage boiling in Ethan’s heart died at the sight. Despite the anger he’d felt, he’d let the kid explain himself. To the best Ethan could tell, he hadn't contradicted himself once.

“Ok kid,” Ethan said at last. Taking the body to the hatch where the ensign had put all the rest. “I believe you.” He said coming up to the kid with slow steps to hand him a bottle of water. “And… I’m sorry. As you can imagine, it’s been a rough couple of days. I… I’m sorry…” Shame replaced the rage he’d felt and all he wanted to do was run away and hide. This kid didn’t do anything, and by the looks of it, everyone who did was already dead. With a sigh, Ethan put another ration pack down next too the kid… who’d told Ethan during his rant that he was actually only twenty years old. Then, he made his slow way back up the tower.

Ethan, who’d been lost in his own head, didn’t look up until he’d climbed more than halfway up the tower. When he did, his eyes met those of the woman, who was staring at him intently as he climbed. He froze for a second while he wondered if she’d been watching, then resumed his climb to get back to her side.

“Do… Do you have another bottle of water?” She asked, before he’d even reached her side. Unsure of what to do with himself, now that she was awake. Ethan clung to the side of her pod and nodded.

“Yea, I’ve got another one,” he said pulling one out of his bag and extending it up to her.

“I’m not in the best shape,” she said, voice barely above a whisper. “I could use some help, you were up here with me just a few minutes ago. Don’t go worrying about personal space now.” Ethan’s face went red. It wasn’t that he was really all that shy, he was just feeling really self-conscious and embarrassed, after the display he’d just put on.

“I got you,” he said after a moment, and climbed back up into the pod with her. Cracking open the water bottle, he held it to her split lips for her to drink. “Is that better?” He asked once she’d drained half the bottle, and he pulled it away. She clearly wanted more, but he’d been sick himself until recently and knew just because the body wanted something, didn’t mean it was good for it.

“I’m not dead yet, that’s got to count for something.” She said, and Ethan gently wiped her mouth as she slobbered over the words. “…thanks,” she muttered, looking more annoyed than grateful. “So, are you going to do as you said and save me, or are we going to keep staring at each other like idiots?” That time, Ethan blushed with embarrassment, and he reached for her leg restraints. Embarrassed or not though, he still locked his knees into the lip of the pod to make sure she didn’t fall out when he freed her.

“I… ah, my name’s Ethan,” he said while he undid the straps holding her in place. “The kid down there is Ensign Leo Davis…What’s your name?” Maneuvering up here was awkward, but he managed to get her unhooked from the pod and get the water bottle back into his bag and onto his back while the woman looked around and weakly flexed her fingers.

“My name’s… Nine, apparently…” she said, eyes catching on the display screen next to the pod she’d been in. “And I’m twenty-nine years old… I… I was twenty-six last time I…” her voice trailed off, and she shook her head to indicate she needed a minute.

“Take your time,” Ethan said gently, raising his hand to rest it on her shoulder, but then thinking better of it, he moved to put it back down when Nine took the decision out of his hands. Leaning into him and wrapping her polymer arms around his waist.

“I… just… need a minute,” she said, her voice little more than a broken sob. Ethan rested his arms around her shoulders like he had earlier. Holding her while she cried, her head resting against his chest. She couldn’t have been more than an inch or two over five feet, and with her bald head and malnourished frame, she felt like a child in his arms. A child with arms and legs a few sizes too big for their body, like a puppy who hadn't grown into their ears yet, only, more macabre.

Eventually, she quieted down, and Ethan was able to gather her up in his arms and descend to ground level, where Ensign Davis was still on the floor, back pressed hard against the wall. His eyes jumped to Ethan in terror from where they had been, seemingly riveted to the unopened ration pack and water bottle.

“Ensign, I’m sorry about earlier.” Ethan said, shame filling him at the terrified look the younger man directed his way. “I was wrong to accuse you of anything. Please, go ahead and eat. I got that out for you… oh, and this is…” He motioned to his arms, still holding onto the emaciated woman.

“Call me Nine,” she said, when Ethan paused. “And, if it makes you both more comfortable. I can honestly say that I’ve never seen the ensign before… But… if you’re not actually going to eat that,” she nodded her head weakly towards the untouched ration pack. “I’m starving.”

“Oh gosh, I’m sorry.” Ethan said, swiftly but gently setting her down near Davis. “I have plenty of food in my bag, just a moment.”

The tale has been illicitly lifted; should you spot it on Amazon, report the violation.

Before long, Nine was nibbling her way into an open ration pack, blowing on it to cool it back down after the heating tab had been pulled. Ethan had gotten one out for himself too, though he rarely bothered heating them up. Once the two of them started eating, the kid unfroze enough to work at the meal in front of him too. Time passed in silence, it wasn’t quite companionable silence, but it wasn’t as awkward as it could be. Ethan even attempted small talk for a while before giving up and digging into a second, and then third ration pack. His wound was mostly healed, but food seemed to help him recover faster, besides he was almost always hungry these days.

“Isn’t one of those supposed to last a person like, two days or something?” Nine asked when he opened his third ration pack and began scarfing it down without bothering to warm it up. Ethan froze at her words, and looked guiltily at the less than half eaten ration pack she was still trying to eat.

“Sorry,” Ethan said, bringing the pack away from his mouth where he had been shoveling it in like he hadn't just eaten two previously. He knew what it was like with the wasting disease. Feeling hungry, but unable to stomach eating more than a few bites at a time, lest the pain gnaw into his guts and take hold.

“Don’t worry about it… Ethan?” She said, making his name a question. “I just thought you might want to offer another one to the Ensign here before you ate them all…” She said it jokingly, but Ethan could see the contained pain in her eyes regardless.

“Oh… no I’m fine…” the kid tried to protest that he didn’t want anymore, but Ethan had already pulled the heat tab on one of the last ration packs he’d brought with him and handed it over.

“Don’t worry about it kid,” he said with a grin. “When we get back to my ship you can eat as many of them as you want… I might not have much, but there is plenty of food.”

Davis looked like he wanted to say something as he accepted the food, but Nine had started talking again, so he closed his mouth and looked at her.

"Ensign Leo Davis, that’s quite the strong sounding name.” She said, looking from him to Ethan. “My name is… number Nine. But what about you Ethan, do you have a surname, or is it Just Ethan?” The question brought Ethan up short. He had a last name, everybody did, but he hadn't actively thought about it in a long time. After his parents had died, and he’d been left alone with his brother… it had brought bad memories. Then his brother had become a system renowned gladiator, and his name had become a commodity. He’d rarely used it after that.

“Yea, I have a surname.” He said, not wanting to really talk about it, but unable to bring himself to shut down her attempt at conversation. “It’s Fairchild. Ethan Fairchild.” After telling them his name, he lifted the pack to his lips again and scooped in another pile of unidentifiable meat paste, but he didn’t taste the food as he chewed.

“Fairchild? That’s a pretty uncommon name.” Nine said, taking another small nibble from a cracker that had been in her ration pack.

“Wasn’t there a famous gladiator with that name a few years ago?” Davis asked excitedly, speaking up for the first time, apart from his attempted refusal of the food. “It was… Markus I think, yes, Markus Fairchild. He was a big deal a few years ago. My sister’s room was covered with his posters, and she bought me an action figure for my birthday one year… It must be pretty cool, sharing a name with someone famous like that.”

“…yea, I guess it is…” Ethan agreed without much enthusiasm. Davis didn’t notice, having gone back to his new ration pack, but Ethan caught Nine frowning at him questioningly, eyes locked on his face for some reason. He was saved from further questions, when an ear splitting howl ripped through the air above them, and a goblin riding a war dog leapt into the ship from the unguarded hole. It jumped from one desk to another, working its way lower like a pinball, bouncing between posts before it came to land in front of them with a snarl.

Ethan could already see a second rider descending after the first as he launched himself to his feet. Davis was backing away again, pressing himself further into the wall and clearly had no will to fight. Nine, on the other hand, stared at the goblin riders in wide eyed disbelief, and Ethan had to remind himself that despite knowing they’d been in some kind of crash, he hadn't told her anything about the situation they found themselves in.

Cursing, Ethan took a step forward, placing himself between nine and the riders. He pulled the rock headed hammer, his replacement for the axe he’d lost earlier, from his belt and gave it an experimental swing. There were already two war dogs down here, and he could see a third descending. No matter how much he wanted to curse at the universe for forcing him into another dead end where he had no choice but to fight, he knew he didn’t have the time. If he didn’t take care of the foes in front of him quickly, than he would be swamped when the last two got down here. That thought, to end it quickly, firmly lodged in his head, Ethan charged.

The war dogs were fast in straight line charges. He’d seen them at it multiple times now, but they had trouble maneuvering from side to side. That’s where the goblins on their backs seemed to come in. While the shaggy black furred war dogs charged forward and attacked head on, the goblins could cover the flanks and keep the dog’s vulnerable sides guarded.

In theory, they had a pretty airtight strategy. However, it only worked when they confronted a foe of comparable size and ability to themselves. Ethan, though he still found it difficult to accept in his rational mind, was far and away stronger than these little green vermin, and he was the only one who could fight them right now. He wasn’t going to let them hurt Nine, or Davis. He was going to defend them and crush the goblins and their mounts in front of him, with pure, brute force.

Darting forward Ethan watched as the goblin on the right lined up a spear with his chest, while the goblin rider on the left hefted an axe. Both the spear and the axe were aimed at his center of mass, so he ignored it completely as he charged. If they had been pointed at his now unprotected head, things might be different, but as things stood now… the rough forged spear point impacted the armor plate that covered his heart and skittered off harmlessly as he brought the hammer down onto the war dog’s spine. He heard a gasp of surprise behind him, but it was quickly drowned out by the pain filled shrieks coming from the now crippled mount.

Turning to the axe wielding goblin, Ethan once more swung the hammer with as much force as he could put behind it. This time as well, he aimed for the war dog’s flank. He’d already learned from past experience that the dogs were the more dangerous of the pair and he wanted to take them out first. Again, his hammer collided with the war dog and his armor deflected the counterattack the axe wielding goblin launched at him as his mount went out from under him. He’d succeeded in thinning the ranks, but it looked like that was going to be the end of the easy fights. Since, in the next moment the third war dog slammed into his back from above, driving him into the ground and banging his head off the metal floor.

Ethan grunted in pain but knew better than to lay still with a dog near him. If one of those beasts sunk their teeth into the back of his unprotected neck, he’d be dead before he had the chance to fight back. Ignoring the blood flowing freely down his broken lips and nose, Ethan spun around and threw a wild haymaker at the beast’s snout. The punch connected with the dog’s ugly face and its head jerked to the side with a loud yip of pain.

The dog wasn’t the only one hurt from the exchange however, and Ethan cried out in pain as at least one of his fingers broke. Looking up, he saw the last rider rapidly descending to the floor, and he knew he had to hurry. He’d already taken out the first two dogs, leaving their riders on their own, now he had to finish the third before the final goblin rider joined the fray. With a pain filled snarl, he levered himself to his knees, and launched himself at the war dog.

It might not be original, but he already knew how susceptible the dogs were to crushing attacks. So, without waiting for it to regain its bearings after the punch, he wrapped it up in a bear hug and squeezed with every ounce of strength he possessed. Just as expected, the dog thrashed and howled, but was unable to free itself. That part went just as he’d planned it, he hadn't predicted what happened next though.

The first two times he’d wrapped a war dog up in a hug like this, he’d already dealt with the goblin on its back. Just as he’d surmised at the beginning of combat, and somehow disregarded already, was the goblins’ main role in the fight. It was to cover the flanks of its mount. Well, it just so happened to be the flanks of the war dog Ethan was holding onto right now, and he had to pay for his arrogance with a spear strike to the collarbone.

The blade slipped between two armor plates, and bit deep into the area where his shoulder met his neck. The wound wasn’t fatal, not immediately fatal anyway. That meant as long as he could get some kill energy, he’d probably be ok. With that thought in mind, he doubled down on his strangle hold, and sighed in relief when the flood of kill energy entered his body. The spear still stuck in his shoulder was a concern, but he managed to wrench it free before the wave of kill energy had burned itself out.

The wound wasn’t closed entirely, but it would do until he managed to make another kill. Realizing that being on his knees was probably not the best position to receive another attack from, Ethan did his best to regain his feet, only to have the goblin rider launch itself at him in a suicidal attempt to claw his eyes out.

It was bad timing too, since the final war dog, goblin pair had just reached their level and the shaggy hound was winding up for one of their famous straight line charges. Not that Ethan could do anything about it, struggling as he was with the little green terror. All he could do was watch it come at him while he did his best to get a grip on the slippery little devil. The goblins might not be very strong, but he’d underestimated just how much speed they could manage when off their mounts. Finally deciding he’d just have to put the goblin between himself and the charging war dog, Ethan made to maneuver himself around, when a flash of white cloth caught his eye.

Looking past the wildly flailing goblin, Ethan spotted Nine. The frail woman had somehow gotten her hands on a goblin spear, and with its butt on the ground with one of her bare feet resting atop it, she’d positioned herself between him and the charging dog. He watched in horror as the dog charged forward, knowing full well just how much damage one of those things could do when they had their teeth sunk into flesh.

Tired of playing with the goblin attacking him, Ethan grabbed it by the arm and whipped it away from himself without letting go. The weight of its own body caused a backlash that snapped the arm and likely also dislocated the menace’s shoulder. He’d dealt with his threat but was still far too slow to intervene on Nine’s behalf and he watched, wide eyed as the war dog impaled itself on her spear. It ran itself through with its own momentum and continued forward, but Nine was already falling backwards.

The dog still hit her with enough force that Ethan worried her neck might snap under the pressure, but it was out of the fight. Taking quick inventory, Ethan figured if Nine didn’t die right away, than the kill energy would fix up whatever damage she’d suffered from the impact. So, he focused his attention on the three remaining goblins. The one who’s mount Nine had just skewered was still faceplanted on the deck, the one who’s mount’s back he broke was trapped below the still flailing dog’s body, but the third… the third had gotten around him and was doing his best to tear Davis apart with its bare hands.

The kid was trying to hold off the goblin, but he was injured, and he didn’t have the size, or strength advantage that Ethan did over the creatures, neither did he have any armor on. So, he was slowly being overwhelmed by the smaller goblin’s speed.

Deciding that Davis needed his help more than anything else at the moment, Ethan jogged over and put his foot into the goblin’s back. Propelling the filthy green thing into the wall, where its back snapped under the force of the kick. Turning away from the kid to engage the slowly recovering goblin Nine had dazed, Ethan shouted over his shoulder to him.

“Kill it yourself, it will help heal your shoulder faster.” Having said that to Davis, Ethan had a thought, and once again stomped on his new target’s back. That only left one, and he dealt with the trapped rider easily enough before going to check on Nine.

“Are you ok?” He asked, dropping down beside her prone form after he’d pulled the dead war dog off her.

“I… I think so?” She answered, sounding unsure. She’d been running her hands over her stomach when he approached, a look of confusion on her face. “But my stomach… it doesn’t hurt as much…” Ethan smiled at her, noticing that her split lips weren’t as chapped as before.

“It’s the kill energy,” he said, smile growing wider. “I was healed in a similar way. There are several more yet to be fully dead enemies here. Let me help you, all you have to do is kill them, and you’ll start to feel better.” Ethan had more he wanted to say on the subject, but surrounded by the agonized howls of two crippled war dogs and a similar number of goblins made him uneasy. Fearing they would draw in others if they didn’t finish them off filled him, so he was a little more forceful with Nine than he would have been otherwise as he got her to her feet and handed her the spear back.

A few minutes later, she was looking… well not better exactly… but a little less like a living skeleton at least. While Davis was stretching his shoulder experimentally, over and over, a wondering smile on his lips. He wasn’t healed completely, having only killed the one goblin Ethan had crippled for him, but it had gone a long way to speed up the process. While Ethan himself hadn't taken any more kills either. Having decided that Nine needed them more than he did at the moment.

“…this, this is incredible.” Nine breathed out, looking up at him with excitement written all over her battered face. “I… haven’t felt this good in… well I don’t remember how long.” Ethan caught the look of pity Davis sent her way behind her back. He knew what the kid must be thinking, since the woman still looked more like a ten-year-old bald boy, who was wearing his dad’s clothes, boots, and gloves. Only, he didn’t let any of that emotion show on his own face when he smiled back at her. He knew all too well how it felt to be looked at with pity by people he didn’t know over something he couldn’t control. It wasn’t much, but he’d do his best to spare this woman he’d barely just met that small shame at least.

“I know right?” He asked, before turning his attention back to Davis. “You’re looking a bit better kid,” the words causing the ensign to jump a little.

“Oh, um, yea. I feel a lot better, thanks man.” The kid said with uncertainty written all over his face.

“Good, that’s good. Hey, I was wondering, didn’t you say you were a tech? Where’s your tool kit at again?” Ethan asked casually, not wanting to send the kid back into hysterics by being overly assertive.

“Oh… it a… it’s in the bathroom. I managed to find a powerline in there that still had some juice and was able to tap into it to get a light I had in my kit going. I lock myself up in there at night. Since there are always more goblins around at night… did, did you want me to go get it?” He finished is explanation with a question, looking worried that he’d said something wrong. Ethan smiled at the ensign. So, he’d been the one to get the light going down there. If he could do that, then maybe they could repurpose some of the resources in the rooms above. He cut himself off before his daydreaming could snowball too far out of hand.

“Would you please?” He asked, turning his attention back to Davis. “There are a lot of potentially useful electronics up there,” Ethan pointed at the room he’d found Nine in. “But before we go treasure hunting, I think we need to get back to my ship. If nothing else, we’re all out of food. But I think Nine at least would appreciate a change of clothes?” He phrased the last bit as a question, turning as he spoke to the still smiling woman.

“Damn right I would,” she said with a nod as the kid went off to grab his tool kit.

Five minutes later, Ethan had helped them both up, and out of the ship. He’d ended up carrying them both, since the kid’s shoulder still wouldn’t hold his weight, and Nine was still suffering pretty badly. Though carrying her out was much less awkward than with Davis. The kid had held perfectly still, like any sudden movements on his part would spell his death at Ethan’s hands. While Nine just wrapped her arms around his neck and held on tightly until he’d dropped her off into the sun.

“My ship’s only six hundred yards or so that way,” Ethan said, pointing back the way he’d come to get here. “We just suffered from an attack, so with luck we should make it back before we run into any more trouble.” The howl that split the air from deeper in the forest put the lie to his words almost before he’d said them, and he groaned as a second, and third howl joined the first.

“You just had to jinx it, didn’t you.” Nine said tiredly.