The Underground (Cyberpunk Au)

In Your Arms

It was like slamming into icy water. Everything felt slow even as an aching cold seeped through Connor, staring in his stomach. He stumbled back, pressed a hand to the center of the chill. His hand came away warm, wet and red. It made no sense. Someone was shouting in the distance but he couldn't make out what they were saying. Sure sounded like Sonia even though she wasn't in the room.

"Please take the trash out," he heard Barstow's voice through a haze and a pair of hands grabbed him, began to drag him out. Before he passed out he saw Scarlett and Cobalt stare after him with horror as a red trail showed where he was dragged.

Thankfully he wasn't conscious for being pulled up the stairs, but he regained consciousness to hear retreating footsteps. He tried to make out where he was, in an alley, propped against a dumpster that was overflowing. If he'd had the energy he would have laughed. Enough people had called him human garbage; he was able to appreciate the irony. He pressed a hand to his stomach and groaned as pain flared up. Without his gear, he couldn't even ask for help. Of all the ways he thought he'd go out, bleeding out from a gut shot in a filthy back alley amongst some trash really hadn't been one of them.

The nice thing, he mused, about dying like he was, was the fact that all the pain began to fade away, replaced by numbness. It was, he hesitated to think it, but it was nice. To finally be pain free for his last few minutes when the last two and a bit months had been nothing but agony.

Thundering feet rounded the corner and Connor wanted to call out but the words eluded him. Someone spotted him all the same and rushed towards him. He looked funny, or that could just be the blood in his eye. But he did see something familiar; blue eyes.

"Connor," the voice was familiar too.

"Zane?" he groaned and watched the nervous shaky smile that worked its way over Zane's face.

"Emergency services are on their way, Scarlett's let me know what happened."

The words struck fear in Connor.

"No," he tried to squirm out of the cradle of warmth Zane had formed around him. "No ambulance. Zane. I can't afford it."

Something passed over Zane's features, disappointment and anger rolled into one. His gear flashed yellow and red and he muttered something darkly under his breath.

"Don't worry about it, it's all taken care of," he reassured Connor and ran a thumb over the other's cheek.

"It's okay," Connor tried to sound like he meant it. "I'm glad you're here. I," his breath stuttered as Zane pressed down on his stomach to staunch the bleeding. Connor closed his eyes as the world blurred and his hearing became muffled static.

"Hold on, just a little while longer...." was all he could make out before passing out...