And all he could think of was green fields and orchard trees and the quiet laughter that used to come at dusk when training drills were over, and the sky hadn't been red with warning lights.
The medic led the way.
Her boots moved fast, heel-to-toe, the portable tablet mounted to her wrist streaming data as she walked. Vitals spiked and dipped in soft pulses, each reading synced to Elias's bio-signal feed. She tapped twice on the side of the screen, patching ahead to the infirmary staff.
The corridor ahead brightened as motion triggered the light panel's gradual lift. Heat regulation kicked in. The filtered air warmed two degrees, balancing the cold bleed still trailing behind Cubes' cooling unit.
Torv followed behind at half pace.
His rifle was lowered but still ready. The barrel twitched slightly with every step. Sweat streaked the front of his armor and left dark marks along the collar. His eyes kept cutting sideways toward Elias. He didn't ask questions.
