I must have zoned out for a minute, because the next thing I knew, Hoppy was back, this time carrying Whisperer on her shoulder.

“What the fuck happened? You just left,” I blurted out as I slowly climbed to my feet.

“Bad things! Had to evacuate Whisperer before things got worse,” Hoppy spouted out rapidly. She was sweating profusely and looked like she was on something. Maybe she hadn’t completely purged the fear chemical out of her system before running off.

“Couldn’t you at least have given Whisperer first aid before dragging her over here?” I asked as I bent over to inspect the wound. It was bleeding profusely, but clean. Almost too clean.

“Hell no!” Hoppy spat out, which caused me to look up at her in concern. “It’s really bad out there. Evacuate first, aid second.”

“If you say so. Nyx, gimme some nanos to at least close the wound, and some Hemo-Restore,” I said as I inspected the wound. “Anything else you would recommend? I’m not a fucking doctor.”

That should keep her stable for the time being. Once she comes to Whisperer and her AI Wranglyr can decide what to do with her leg.

“Fine,” I mumbled as I sprayed the stump with Nanos before stabbing Whisperer in the thigh with the Hemo-Restore. She tossed and turned a little, but didn’t seem to be in any danger, so I stood up and leaned against the Kodiak. “You can put her in one of the vehicles until she wakes up,” I told Hoppy.

“Okay!” the girl said, lifting Whisperer like she weighed next to nothing. She stepped around me, heading towards the hatch when she froze. “Fucking Incoming!” she yelled.

I turned just in time to catch sight of the bottom of Hoppy’s feet when there was a whip crack. There was something there—a massive vine? It was moving so fast I didn’t have a chance to react before the Kodiak was thrown away. A moment later the vine connected with my chest, and I followed it.

I had a vague feeling of weightlessness as I flew across the cavern, only to smash into the side of the second Kodiak before slumping to the ground.

There was an unbearable pain in my chest. It was hard to breathe.

“Nyx…” I managed to choke out.

Don’t talk. Your ribs splintered and penetrated most of your organs. You have blood in your lungs. Time is of the essence.

I had a vague sensation that someone was standing over me, but it was kind of hard to tell; my vision was blurry.

Listen carefully. I need you to approve some nanos. That’ll give you a little more time but not save you. Nod if you approve.

I nodded awkwardly, and immediately felt someone jam a hypo into my side. Whatever it did didn’t make it easier to breathe, or minimize the pain, I just whimpered.

Easy… Next, I need you to authorize the purchase of Class II Medical Utilities, and Class I Bionic Organ Replacement. You have the points; that’s all that matters here.

I nodded again. My vision was getting fuzzier, and I was struggling to stay awake. The person above me was joined by someone else.

Finally, I need you to authorize me to make purchases on your behalf to keep you alive.

I wanted to scream ‘Why didn’t you start with that?’ but all that came to my lips was liquid. Blood.

I NEED YOUR PERMISSION. Nyx’s voice echoed through my brain.

I nodded, or at least I tried to. I’m not quite sure if I managed it before things started to go dark.

I honestly half expected not to wake up again, so it was a pleasant surprise when I came to some time later. A quick inspection confirmed I was in the back of one of the Kodiaks, alive. When I tried to sit up, a slim, silver colored arm pressed me back down. “You know it’s actually impressive that you managed to almost get yourself killed when you weren’t in the main fight,” Grey said. The nanites had retreated from around her head, revealing a light bronze complexion and short, frizzy hair.

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“I’m extremely skilled that way,” I managed to wheeze out. “What happened?”

“You somehow managed to get smashed by it’s tail right before we killed it. Your AI had to jump through hoops to keep your brain alive while it replaced most of your organs. Apparently it had to do it in stages while waiting for the points to roll in. You almost didn’t make it.”

“That’ll teach me to ignore Nyx’s warnings about keeping a reserve,” I chuckled, before nearly doubling over in pain.

“Yeah, had to skimp out on the pain killers while doing it, so even with nanites you’re going to be down for awhile”

“What about Hoppy?” I asked, vaguely picturing the last moments before getting crushed.

“That girl jumped fifteen feet in the air carrying Whisperer to avoid the tail, then helped perform emergency treatment on you. Saved your life,” Grey said as she sat across from me.

“What’s the situation outside?” I wheezed.

“Stable. Now that most of the hives are down, we’re slowly whittling the antithesis down. Should have the situation under control soon. Your bears did some serious work out there, keeping the horde under control,” Grey replied with a small smile.

I stared at the top of the Kodiak, working up the nerve to ask my next question. “Other casualties?” I managed after a minute.

“Temp's dead. She got hit by the acid but died almost instantly. Executable is down. His shell was completely destroyed by the acid, but we honestly don’t know if he’s dead or what. Pesti didn’t survive the acid eating through his brain case. You know about Brood, and we can’t find Raijin.”

I swallowed, trying to clear the dryness in my throat. “The kid’s dead, completely dissolved by the same acid that got Brood.”

Grey just nodded lightly. “We suspected, but thanks for confirming.”

I reached out to my bears, trying to get an idea of the situation outside, when I suddenly realized I didn’t have a headache. None of the bears were reporting to me.

“Did we fucking lose all my bears when I went down?” I asked, as I struggled to get into a seated position.

“Nope, they’re fine,” Grey said with a smirk.

“Then what the fuck's happening?” I asked, completely confused.

“I’ll let Humboldt explain. It’s about time for her to take a break anyway,” Grey said, standing up and heading to the end of the Kodiak.

“No wait…”

“Have fun,” she said with a little wave as the ramp descended. The nanites swarmed over her head, protecting her before she stepped out.

I stared at the open hatch in frustration. “She’s kind of a bitch sometimes,” I muttered.

“You’re not much better,” Humboldt replied as she appeared from around the side of the Kodiak, and stepped inside. Behind her stood a dark grey bear. Unlike the last time I’d seen him, Spooky was wearing a black long coat and an officer’s hat. He stepped around Humboldt and saluted.

“It’s good to see you alive, commander!” he barked.

“I’m hallucinating,” I mumbled. “That’s the only explanation.”

“Not the only explanation,” Humboldt said with a small laugh. “When you went down, Hoppy was concerned that the bears would either stop fighting or cause excess strain on you during surgery, so she convinced Nyx to let her use your catalogs.”

“The fuck… she…” my brain slowly worked through the options.

“Class III command, ready for your orders!” Spooky reported.

I stared at the bear for a moment. “That would have cost thousands, tens of thousands of points,” I said blankly.

“She was happy to do it, apparently. Said your bears made her more than enough to make up for it,” Humboldt said lightly as she sat down and removed her helmet.

The two of us looked at each other. She looked worn down and exhausted. I probably looked worse. “Glad you survived,” she said finally.

“So am I. Although I doubt I’m ever going to live down the fact I was practically collateral damage,” I replied with a slight frown.

“It could have been any of us,” Humboldt replied. “Some of the others took splash damage and didn’t survive. You’re just one of the lucky ones.”

“Lucky, right,” I scoffed.

“You’re fucking alive! Don’t mope about it. How do you think I would have felt if I had to report to Jane and the kids you died here? Stop being a fucking grump!” Humboldt yelled, before smacking me in the head.

“Careful! I’m injured,” I shouted back, shielding my head. “And I’m thankful that’s the extent of it! Stop attacking me!” I cried in mock distress.

Humboldt finally let up and sat back down, a small grin on her face. “Seriously though, I’m glad you’re ok.”

“Me too,” I quipped. “I just wish I had the points for painkillers.”

“Fuck you,” was all she said.