Ardent

Chapter 5.2

Alex's lungs burned with effort as he pushed his way through the door of the med-bay, eliciting surprised expressions from the white-clad staff. He maneuvered Aliyn with gentle hands to lay her down on a nearby stretcher, gesturing to the staff who crowded around her body. Aliyn's limp form moved further and further away from him as the people in the white lab coats pushed him out of the way with a "Sir, we will need you to step aside."

Eventually, her face vanished from his view, and the curtain closed. He stood, forgotten against the shiny white wall with fists clenched at his side and worry coiling in his heart.

Voices filtered from behind the curtain. Words of surprise, disbelief, and disgust congregated in his already cluttered mind. The area closed in on him, its washed-out walls covered in endlessly beeping devices and vials. He sniffed, the sterile smell of the medical area clinging within his nostrils without reprieve.

The room reminded him of a night long ago, bringing him back to that time. It was like reliving that hell, only this time it was Aliyn on that stretcher. His stomach catapulted into his throat.

"Don't you dare check out on us now, Alex," a stern voice whispered as a gloved hand pushed down on his shoulder, forcing him to sit on a nearby bench. It was Lillian. Her eyes burned into him like coals, a dark expression on her face. "Don't you even think about it. You have come too far to let yourself fall. Aliyn will be fine. It'll take a hell of a lot more than this to kill her."

Alex changed the subject. "Why are you here?"

"Lunar officials have picked up the body. They've brought it here to analyze, find out what the heck happened to it. It's bizarre. When they picked it up, it was light, as though all the fluid had drained from it. You should have seen it. It was intense. It's freaking me out."

"That's unlike you," Alex replied.

"I know. That's what scares me."

"Do you still think accepting this mission was a good idea after all that's happened? We're no military crew. We have no real combat skills. We're a salvage crew. This is far outside our area of expertise—if you can even call it that," he muttered, brows furrowing.

"I won't lie; the excitement of this whole thing is wearing off." Lillian leaned forward, placing her elbows on her knees. She exhaled. "We are out of our element, and Aliyn is paying for it."

"The book isn't worth lives, no matter what Local Intelligence thinks. If you want my opinion—and I know you probably don't—I say we take Aliyn home and return that ship. It's not worth it."

Alex peered at the curtain that moved with the commotion behind it. He zeroed in on the voice of the physician, trying to discern her inaudible words. The only thing he could pick up was the depth of the concern in her voice.

"They have no idea what to do with her. She was like ice in my arms, Lillian," Alex spoke, his gaze unfocused.

"Then we take her back to Earth if they can't help her. Someone there must be able to do something. The Lunarhas limited resources. She's better off on Earth."

The sound of footsteps caused Lillian to look upwards.

"And you both really think Local Intelligence will just be fine with us throwing in the towel?" Corin stepped up to the group, hands balled in his pockets.

"Who cares what they think," Alex spat, vitriol in his words.

"Alex," Corin shook his head, raising a brow. "Did you forget what we signed when we accepted this mission? We all knew there was a risk to it. We are partial to secret intelligence. They won't take it lightly if we show up and try to give back the ship."

Alex stood from the bench, moving until he stood in front of Corin. The muscles in his neck tensed, and he bristled with frustration. "Go poke your head behind that curtain, look at Aliyn, and then look me in the eyes and say that again."

"Sit down," Corin spoke, his voice terse. "I'm not here to fight with you, Alex. It hurts me as much as it does you to see Aliyn like that. Don't you forget where I was when you guys found me." He took a deep breath, a soft sigh escaping his lips before speaking again. "I agree with you. If they can't help her here, then we bring her back to Earth. That much is simple. The only thing I'm saying is, it rarely goes over well with LI if you give up. Do you think they'll just let us go back to what we did before with this knowledge in our heads? We'd lose everything."

"Then we lose everything." Alex crossed his arms and leaned against the wall, resting his head against the cold surface. He closed his eyes, allowing the blackness to push the endless barrage of thoughts from his mind as he inhaled, the astringent smell in the air so intense he could taste its sharpness.