of the shelter.
Kale followed close behind but the ship bore down fast. The laser pulses came closer to me and I screamed for Kale to jump. He did.
The ship fired and hit the large boulder by the door, which sent shards of rock flying. A piece of it hit Kale as he fell through the hatch door. I shot at the ship and grazed one of its wings. A small plume of smoke billowed out, yet it remained airborne.
“Hannibal!” Kale screamed as he fell down the entryway, landing with a hard thud at the bottom of the ladder. After firing one last shot at the ship, I scrambled inside and pulled the door closed behind me. The groan of the lock sliding into place echoed through the shelter.
James was already at Kale’s side by the time I reached the bottom rung. Markus hobbled over, having sprained an ankle in his own jump. “How bad is he?” I asked James.
“He’s just fine, thanks,” Kale responded. His leg bled profusely from a large gash on the back of his calf.
“At least we have the supplies with us,” said James. “Tora, can you hand me that bag?”
I tossed him the bag, glad that I wasn’t the one whose leg looked like it had been turned inside out. At least there wasn’t as much blood with my injury. I didn’t do so well with blood. James worked quickly to stem the flow. To my eyes, it looked less like a laser wound and more like his leg had been gutted. Kale didn’t refuse the pain meds like I had, but my wound hadn’t looked like his. James pulled a small, shiny disk from the bag. When he turnedit on, a triangle of red light emanated from it.
Markus leaned closer to get a better look but James put his arm up to stop him. “I wouldn’t get too close to this if I were you.” He aimed the red light at the back of Kale’s leg, moving it slowly up and down the sliced open area. Even with the painkillers, Kale grunted in agony. The device was piecing his leg back together.
I gasped. I’d never seen anything like this before. Then again, my father specialized in weaponry, not medicine. “Wow,” I said. “It’s like energetic stitches.”
“You’d think it’d be less painful than the regular kind,” Kale said through gritted teeth.
James looked apologetic. “No, but the beam also sterilizes the area. Stops infection, which is the worst that could happen in a case like this. This way, you won’t lose the leg.”
Kale’s eyes widened. He clearly hadn’t considered that prospect. James worked so methodically and calmly that I realized how lucky we were to have a medic like him around. I only hoped we wouldn’t need him again anytime soon. As great as the laser stitching contraption might be, I had no desire to have it focused on any of my body parts.
James finished bandaging Kale’s leg. “You need to stay off it as much as possible. Try to get some rest for a few hours. Markus, I’ll check out your ankle in a sec.”
“Thanks, I’m thinking I owe you my life,” said Kale.
“Then I guess we’re even.”
James owed Kale his life. I so needed to find out the details of that story. Markus and James helped Kale to hisfeet. Kale put an arm around each of their shoulders, and they started to move him to the couch. That was when the bomb hit.
Either the Consulate ship was no longer afraid I’d use the weapons or they thought breaking out their own bombs first would blow the shelter door off pretty quickly. A sonic boom rattled the entire shelter. Britta moaned, as if she was fighting her way back to consciousness—in her typical whiny fashion. A cup fell off the table, skittering across the floor. The W.A.R. machine moved several inches from its station but remained intact. Markus stumbled, almost bringing down Kale and James with him. He braced his hand against the wall to steady himself, a slew of curse words streaming from his mouth.
I grabbed onto the chair in front of me for support. The vibrations of the bomb continued to resonate through my weak ribs. I looked skyward at the hatch
Kale followed close behind but the ship bore down fast. The laser pulses came closer to me and I screamed for Kale to jump. He did.
The ship fired and hit the large boulder by the door, which sent shards of rock flying. A piece of it hit Kale as he fell through the hatch door. I shot at the ship and grazed one of its wings. A small plume of smoke billowed out, yet it remained airborne.
“Hannibal!” Kale screamed as he fell down the entryway, landing with a hard thud at the bottom of the ladder. After firing one last shot at the ship, I scrambled inside and pulled the door closed behind me. The groan of the lock sliding into place echoed through the shelter.
James was already at Kale’s side by the time I reached the bottom rung. Markus hobbled over, having sprained an ankle in his own jump. “How bad is he?” I asked James.
“He’s just fine, thanks,” Kale responded. His leg bled profusely from a large gash on the back of his calf.
“At least we have the supplies with us,” said James. “Tora, can you hand me that bag?”
I tossed him the bag, glad that I wasn’t the one whose leg looked like it had been turned inside out. At least there wasn’t as much blood with my injury. I didn’t do so well with blood. James worked quickly to stem the flow. To my eyes, it looked less like a laser wound and more like his leg had been gutted. Kale didn’t refuse the pain meds like I had, but my wound hadn’t looked like his. James pulled a small, shiny disk from the bag. When he turnedit on, a triangle of red light emanated from it.
Markus leaned closer to get a better look but James put his arm up to stop him. “I wouldn’t get too close to this if I were you.” He aimed the red light at the back of Kale’s leg, moving it slowly up and down the sliced open area. Even with the painkillers, Kale grunted in agony. The device was piecing his leg back together.
I gasped. I’d never seen anything like this before. Then again, my father specialized in weaponry, not medicine. “Wow,” I said. “It’s like energetic stitches.”
“You’d think it’d be less painful than the regular kind,” Kale said through gritted teeth.
James looked apologetic. “No, but the beam also sterilizes the area. Stops infection, which is the worst that could happen in a case like this. This way, you won’t lose the leg.”
Kale’s eyes widened. He clearly hadn’t considered that prospect. James worked so methodically and calmly that I realized how lucky we were to have a medic like him around. I only hoped we wouldn’t need him again anytime soon. As great as the laser stitching contraption might be, I had no desire to have it focused on any of my body parts.
James finished bandaging Kale’s leg. “You need to stay off it as much as possible. Try to get some rest for a few hours. Markus, I’ll check out your ankle in a sec.”
“Thanks, I’m thinking I owe you my life,” said Kale.
“Then I guess we’re even.”
James owed Kale his life. I so needed to find out the details of that story. Markus and James helped Kale to hisfeet. Kale put an arm around each of their shoulders, and they started to move him to the couch. That was when the bomb hit.
Either the Consulate ship was no longer afraid I’d use the weapons or they thought breaking out their own bombs first would blow the shelter door off pretty quickly. A sonic boom rattled the entire shelter. Britta moaned, as if she was fighting her way back to consciousness—in her typical whiny fashion. A cup fell off the table, skittering across the floor. The W.A.R. machine moved several inches from its station but remained intact. Markus stumbled, almost bringing down Kale and James with him. He braced his hand against the wall to steady himself, a slew of curse words streaming from his mouth.
I grabbed onto the chair in front of me for support. The vibrations of the bomb continued to resonate through my weak ribs. I looked skyward at the hatch
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