AUXILIUS NECESSARIUM
LAURA
Laura slathered some more healing paste on the hamburger that used to be Derek's chest. She was surprised they had even managed to get him back to the lab in that state. Ah, there was some premature healing, probably from a stimpack or two. That explained it. Still, she frowned at their story. “She shot three gargants?”
Derek nodded, though it clearly pained him. “With darts loaded with that calciophage stuff you and Clarke cooked up, yes.”
Laura rolled her eyes. “That stupid... I didn't have anything to do with that. It's a horrible invention. Too dangerous to use effectively. Akane, hand me that gauze, would you? Thanks.”
“It seemed to work against the gargants,” Adam pointed out.
Laura snorted. “And if you had been dealing with iron-heart gargants, they wouldn't have even noticed. But that's not what I mean. It gets into the air, then into your lungs, and kills everyone in the area.”
Adam blanched and covered his mouth. Akane snorted out a giggle, and even Derek managed to crack a smile.
“Ah... but you don't have to worry,” Laura said. “You'd be dead by now if you had gotten any in you.”
He lowered his hand sheepishly. “Of... course.” He looked around, desperately looking for a way to change the subject. “Where's that red girl? Robyn, right?”
“She left a while ago,” Laura said, as she added a few more bandages to Derek. “Said she felt useless.” She heard the click of heels. “Speaking of useless...”
Lizzy walked into the room.
She was wearing black. Lots of black. Black heels with straps that went up to her knees, black shorts that reached down to the straps, and a marvelous black corset, with a dark shawl wrapped around it all.
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Laura practically had to use her full weight to keep Derek on the table. She didn't know what the idiot was planning to do—hug her, probably—but he was hardly in any shape to do it.
“Hello,” Laura said. “Didn't you say you were bringing Ling with you?”
Lizzy cocked her head in confusion, before nodding. “Ah, right. Yes, but she wanted to spend time with her ave friend. Make sure he's doing all right, I suppose.”
“Fair enough,” Laura said. She didn't know what else to say, so an awkward silence fell as her hands worked.
After a very long few minutes, she finished bandaging Derek, and she had no good reason to remain silent. She made sure to fix Lizzy with a steely gaze first, though. She might not have been as intimidating as Derek, but it wasn't something you wanted to be on the receiving end of. “Did you rescue these three morons from gargants earlier?”
She blinked, her jaw working silently for a moment before speaking. “You... know about that?”
Laura frowned. “Where did you get the calciophage, Lizzy?”
She shrugged a little helplessly. “Well, you know... Clarke is not always good at keeping track of things...”
Laura sighed. That idiot. He had to be doing it on purpose. No one could be that stupid. “Of course. But that stuff is dangerous. Don't use it again.”
This could mean serious trouble, and not just because of the calciophage. Lizzy was not a killer, not a fighter, and not even an athlete. If she tried to get in the middle of this mess with the Composer, she would be destroyed, in more ways than one. They needed to make sure nothing came of this. Laura made a mental note to speak to the others about it once Lizzy left the room.
Before the uncomfortable silence could fall again, Adam spoke. “Well, I for one am thankful for the rescue.”
“Yeah,” Akane agreed. She bowed, and said something formal in Japanese.
Derek couldn't say much since she had bandaged him a little too tight, but he smiled and grunted in agreement.
Lizzy just smiled with those perfect teeth of hers, her golden eyes glittering. “This... is too much. You have nothing to thank me for.”