HACK3D H34RT

1000

 Due to obvious circumstances, we couldn't bring Cassidy to a hospital. So, we brought her to the next best thing, the hacker space. I called Sitara and told her to prepare the medical supplies and the table. Cassidy was drifting in and out of unconsciousness. Every so often she would whine in pain or groan. Wrench was still being chewed out by Cassidy's best friend Cata and from the expression on his mask t would appear thee girl is using quite colorful language.

  I pulled up outside the hacker space and turned the car off. I got out and took Cassidy off Wrench's lap carefully not to jostle her any more than necessary. Wrench followed me the phone held slightly away from his ear due to the louder volume the girl was using, I could vaguely hear her.

  Wrench input his code and we went down the stairs. The conference table was covered with a white sheet and all the chairs were pulled away from it. Sitara had re done her hair in a bun style, her scarf laid aside. Josh stood next to her playing with the key around his neck, it was distressing to see someone he had grown close to over the past few months so hurt and broken, he became to see Cassidy as a sister.

  I laid her gently on the table and Sitara pulled on a pair of gloves. She took a pair of scissors and cut off what was left of her shirt. She poured disinfectant on a cotton ball and began to clean the cuts that littered her torso. Her body tenses in pain and I had to turn away. Cassidy had grown a lot on all of us. Wrench who was finally off the phone with Cata walked over and took her hand and stroked her hair, whispering soothing things to help relax her.

  Sitara took a damp rand and began to wash the blood and dirt from her face, she wrapped an ice pack in a towel and handed it to Wrench who held it lightly against her eye. Sitara felt Cassidy's leg that had been bent at a weird angle and told me to go pick up a knee brace. I nodded and left the hacker space and ran to the pharmacy next store that was open twenty-four seven. I bought a good one and ran back. I handed it to Sitara who told me to carefully lift her leg. I did and she set the brace down and helped me lower he leg down, she closed the brace and moved on to cleaning the rest of the cuts on her body.

  Wrench went over to his locker and pulled out one of his old Grey hoodies. He handed the soft worn fabric to Sitara and helped Cassidy sit up. Sitara carefully helped Cassidy into the hoodie. Wrench picked her up and laid her down on the couch and I came over and covered her with one of the spare blankets we kept around. The curly haired girl quickly fell asleep.

  "Is she gonna be okay?" Josh asked quietly.

  "She should be... physically, I mean... emotionally, I'm not so sure. We just need to be there for her now. Until she's willing to talk about it." Sitara said trying to hold back her tears. I wrapped my arm around her and brought her in for a hug.

   Wrench looked down at the girl, his mask displayed two x's.

  "So, Wrench," I whispered. "What did Cata say?"

  "Well at first, she yelled at me for a while, then she told me about how she knew that Cassidy shouldn't have gotten mixed up with us, then she said she was taking a red eye flight here to take care of her." He explained rubbing the back of his neck. Seemingly to be embarrassed by being yelled at.

  "Wait! Did you say Cata?" Josh asked. "As in Catasptrphe_AI2001?"

  "I think so, why?" Wrench asked his mask flashing to two question marks.

  "She's one of my favorite YouTubers." Josh said sounding excited.

  Everyone exchanged glances as Josh went back to his post a bemused sort of smile on his face.