Torn: Blood

Wren and Lima were first off the bikes, starting up the stairwell, while Dove and her alpha headed to the roof by hoverbike, where they found the dead cab driver.

“Hostile!” Foxtrot confirmed into the com link “We have one 10-39 on the roof.”

***

“Mission aborted, get the fuck out of here!” Shard screamed as the grenade filled the room with light and smoke. The two tattooed thugs were already running towards the open door and Shard drew her pistol and leveled it at Sy’s back firing twice. Then she was moving herself but instead of following her companions upwards she dove to the right and began to descend at speed.

***

When Sy heard the two bangs, the first thought crossing her mind was that the officers outside the window were firing at the retreating cultists. Good, she thought. Kill those motherfuckers. But as her vision and hearing started to return, she noticed something was wrong. Her back was hurting in places where it hadn't hurt before. Hadn't she landed on her knees and shoulder? Yes, those were throbbing too. So why was this pain getting worse? She looked down at her body. Blood was oozing out of her belly in dribbles, forming a puddle on the floor. She stared at it in disbelief. Then she saw another puddle forming under her breast, and she began to cough, each spasm sending jolts of agony through her body. A metallic taste filled her mouth.

With the last of her strength, she rolled onto her back, and slowly reached into her pocket. She felt a cool, squishy pod. A dose of the drug from Lawrence. She squeezed until it popped, the cocktail immediately sucking into her bloodstream through the skin of her hand. A potent mixture of chemicals slowed her heartbeat, sharpened her senses, dulled the pain. But it was the spike of adrenaline that finally forced her mouth open and made her scream out in a blood-gurgling howl. "FUUUUUUUUUUCK!!"

***

There was a rev of a motor and in came Romeo crashing through the broken window, the boom and crack of his shotgun on full auto firing after the escaping trio. Romeo rolled and was back on his feet as he skidded to a halt. “Goddammit …” Romeo hissed. “ … Anomaly is down, three hostiles … Two going up and one going down.” He said into the comms. “PIPER I NEED MED KIT!” He yelled running to the side of the black woman on the floor.

“Hey … you must be Frey? Right? I’m Romeo …” He said in a soothing tone as he checking her vital. “ … I’m from OSEC you’re going to be fine okay? Just stay calm we’ll get you stabilized first.” Romeo said maintaining a cool and pleasant tone.

The young black woman tried to say something, coughed, spat a mouthful of blood to the side. She was remarkably responsive for someone in her condition. "Syiandra," she rattled. "Took… Drug… Painkiller 'n… Adrenaline… "

“This has got to be some new record for shit going sideways. “ Piper grumbled, jacking in to the bike’s controls to take it next to the window Romeo entered. “Lock on the Neo, Neo is heading down the stairs.”  Watch yourself, Wren. Setting the bike to hover, Piper climbed through the broken window with the med kit.

“We need a Medevac. Mid-twenties about 5’6”.” Romeo said radioing dispatch. “Looks like two shots definitely a punctured a lung, bullet looked like they went all the way through.” He added.

“Awww, Shit. Are you Frey?” Piper asked as her boots hit the floor, before dropping to her knees next to the bleeding woman.

Sy nodded, too tired to say anything else.

“Hi, Frey, I’m Piper. Remember me? We talked sort of.” She checked to feel the girl’s pulse, which was already weaker than it should be. She unzipped the med kit and shot a glance to her Alpha as she tore open a small packet with her teeth. Inside was a small mechanical device fitted with a test strip. Piper collected a few drops of the wounded girl’s blood and waited momentarily for a reading. “It’s okay,” she said as she waited for the machine to give her a read on blood-type as well any drugs which might be in her system. “It doesn’t even mostly look that bad,” she soothed. The machine did its work, determining what would be the best course of treatment at this stage. When the number “4” flashed on the screen, Piper took the corresponding cylinder from its casing, then tossed the kit to Romeo. “This might sting,” she warned.

Sy managed a small chuckle.

Piper flipped the cap and turned the barrel, placing it against Sy’s thigh, which released a large needle beneath the skin. With it came hundreds of nanites which started flowing through the woman’s veins. “Medevac is on the way, Frey, you’re gonna be just fine. Just stay with us.”

While Piper worked the Nanites Romeo went to stabilize and stop the bleeding. He tore open what looked like a blue gel with a metal strip at each end. He stretched it wide to cover the two bullet holes on Sy’s stomach and chest, and hit the ‘on’ switch. It sealed, pressing down on the gunshot wounds. The info started to transmit Sy’s vitals to Piper who could freely access it.

Data started streaming, heart rate, blood pressure, but the ping from an unknown Neo is what gripped her attention. Piper gritted her teeth and looked to the doorway as the rogue Neo approached Wren. Give up,  she warned the interloper. Drop your weapon and give it up. This doesn’t end well for you, there’s still time—

“We need to roll her so we can get the other side … get a drain hose so we can clear her lungs out.” Romeo instructed. “FOCUS Piper.” He chided her.

Romeo’s voice snapped her back to the here and now, the task at hand - saving the anomaly. “Right.” She agreed, unclenching her jaw, and blinking her eyes. She couldn’t help it, it was all instinct, that’s what they did - track the neo.

All vital signs were now being transmitted directly to where she could read them. “Pulse is weak but no longer dropping, and breathing is labored. Medevac ETA in--” Piper shifted her eyes, accessing the information she was looking for. “Seven minutes.” Seven minutes, the girl didn’t have, not with both lungs filling rapidly. “ Piper helped Romeo carefully roll the anomaly to her side.

Romeo stretched out a second gel pad across both bullet wounds. Hopefully, that would help with the girl's blood loss. “We need a needle, a long one …” He said tapping Sy’s chest with a finger.

Piper rummaged through the supply bag quickly. “Fourteen gage, 3 and a half centi is gonna have to do unless your OSEC super knife has something better attached.” Seriously, those things had everything. She prepped the largest needle on the biggest syringe they had. “Stay with me here Frey, okay? We got you.” Looking up at Romeo, she handed him the needle. “I hold, you stab.” She mouthed.

“Yep.” The Alpha nodded as Piper moved to hold Sy still as Romeo slide the need down into the lowest part of the women's lungs. He pulled the plunger slowly back drawing out the pooling blood taking away the pressure on the lungs. “There we go ... see … wasn’t so bad.”

“Was… worse…” Sy’s voice was barely audible at this point. It was a miracle she was still conscious at all. Well, a miracle and some pretty potent chemicals.

Piper tried not to focus on the squishing/whooshing sounds which were closer to her ear as she held Sy steady, or the smell of blood and vomit which filled the room, trying to keep a neutral expression for her Alpha. “Four minutes. They’ll be landing on the roof -- no, wait, Dove says the roof isn’t secure.”

“Have ‘em pull up to the window.” Romeo suggested. “It’ll be a funny story later.” He joked.

Piper raised an eyebrow and shook her head at her Alpha’s humor, making a sweeping motion with one hand to move the hoverbike down and away from the window, while transmitting the new directive to the Medevac vehicle.