[color=9e0039]"Well make sure he's snapped out of it and send the forms to me once you're done. I have a hospital to run here, I can't be bothered to check on every drone that comes in,"[/color] the voice came from far away. Or at least it felt like it. Like Kostia's head was in a fishbowl filled with water an the little goldfish was trying to take a detour via his brain. [color=8dc73f]Why don't I feel any pain?[/color] he thought to himself. It was as if a tremendous pressure had been placed on his entire body, but it did not hurt. [color=8dc73f]I need to open my eyes.[/color] He focused on his eyelids, but they refused to cooperate. A light suddenly shone on his still closed eyes, clearing the blackness and replacing it with the orange-red of his translucent skin. Suddenly, as if someone had heard his thoughts, two fingers pinched his left eyelid and pried it open. A flashlight shone into his exposed iris, forcing it to narrow reflexively. Discomfort surged through the young man's stiff body, causing him to regain a little piece of his senses. He tried moving his head out of the way of the discomfort, but found he could just slightly jerk it to the side. The fingers let go of his eyelid and it happily restored the relative darkness to Konstantin's vision.

[color=a187be]"Awake? Can you hear me, sir?"[/color] a low rumbling voice echoed above him, this one much clearer than the one before. It appeared the fish bowl had been removed and the fish evicted from its new home. The young scout opened his eyelids as far as he could, which was enough to give him an impression of the man hovering above him. The stranger seemed a little older, with dark brown skin and bright red hair that gave a jarring contrast. [color=a187be]"You were sedated sir, please stay calm, it will wear off in a few minutes,"[/color] the man said and straightened himself. He walked away from Kostia's bed and the scout closed his lids again, trying to gather his thoughts. [color=8dc73f]I'm not... dead? No, can't be dead. That guy looked like a nurse, not some otherwordly deity. Then again how can I know what an otherwordly deity would look like...[/color] sensation was returning to his body. He could feel his mouth was dry and his muscles were stiff. There was a pain building up in his eyes, the pain of unfulfilling sleep. 

The pressure finally abated and he could open his eyes fully. It took a moment for his vision to focus, but then he could gather his surroundings. Konstantin slowly pushed himself up on his elbows and took in what little view he had. It was a small hospital room, furnished with nothing but a bed, a chair and a large cupboard. A small LED light illuminated the room, set to a cold dim white light, supposedly to help him rest. He noticed his work clothes on the chair - all tattered and bloody. Kostia looked down to realise he was in nothing but a simple blue hospital gown. Irritated, he fell back onto his pillow and rubbed the bridge of his nose with his left hand. [color=8dc73f]I nearly got killed by those mog'romp... I remember Mark's voice... What the hell happened out there? And why am I here, don't they have healing pods?[/color] His head was completely clear now, but he could not find the answers he was looking for. The nurse was gone as well, so Kostia decided sleeping would be his best option right now and dozed off.

[color=a187be]"Um, sir?"[/color] A hand gently shook him out of his nap. Konstantin mumbled something incoherent and refused to wake up fully. [color=a187be]"Sir, I'm sorry, but you have to leave. We can't keep you here once the sedative has worn off,"[/color] the hand shook him again, more firmly. The young scout turned towards the nurse and pushed himself to his elbows. [color=8dc73f]"What? Why? Why am I even here?"[/color] he demanded with displeasure in his voice.

[color=a187be]"I'm sorry, but we don't have room for you. We've only got a few beds and a lot of people get injured. Not everyone can use a medical pod, either, so we have to treat some people the old-fashioned way, which takes a lot of time. You were healed in a pod, but put here to wait for your sedative to wear off,"[/color] the nurse explained calmly, with an apologetic smile on his face. Kostia got the impression that this man was an idealist - someone who wanted to help people above all else. Not a practical stance, but he admired people with convictions like that.

[color=8dc73f]"Okay, uh, but... My clothes are kind of ruined,"[/color] he nodded towards the neat little pile on the chair. [color=8dc73f]I can't leave with a hospital gown, can I?[/color]

[color=a187be]"We can issue you a new set of clothes. You can keep them if you want, but it will cost you an additional fee,"[/color] the nurse put a couple of inputs into his PDA. [color=a187be]"I'll go fetch them for you,"[/color] he added and left the room. Konstantin sank back into the sheets, staring blankly at the ceiling. [color=8dc73f]I should have asked for a glass of water,[/color] he thought, feeling the dryness of his throat.

[center]***[/center]

The hospital clothes were plain, but at least they were comfortable. Kostia considered keeping them - would save him a shopping trip a few weeks down the line. He unlocked the door to his apartment, stepped inside. It was considerably less dusty than he expected - possibly because he was sent home about halfway into the expedition - but his first action was to crack the window and let fresh air come inside. He needed to do some dusting, but postponed that to tomorrow. Near-death experiences give you perspective on the pointlessness of actions such as cleaning your apartment. It was more like a room, really. He had been assigned a small l-shaped flat, which was just a single room, with a tiny kitchen area in one corner and his bed in another. Thankfully, the bathroom in the third corner had been separated by an opaque glass partition with a sliding door. It had a small coffee table in the middle with a couple of pillows for sitting and little else in terms of furnishing. It's not like a scout needed much luxury when he was away in the jungles most of the time.

Kostia sat on his bed and unrolled the bundle of clothes he had been carrying. His work pants were still in an ok shape - a couple of stitches and a good wash were all they needed. All of his other clothes could at best be used as rags, but the chunks of congealed blood made him decide throwing them away would be a better option. The young man sighed, threw the clothes into the corner and leaned back against the wall. He had left all his personal possessions at camp and needed to wait for his crew to send them to him. Which could take a couple of days still, depending on whether or not they happen upon some pilot going back into the City. 

At least he had the tablet on his wall. He got up and put his fingerprint on the sensor. The computer powered on. Kostia entered his password and checked his messages. Lots of spam, but there were messages from Joshua and Anna. He opened the one from Anna first, fearing the scolding Joshua might give.

[color=6ecff6]"Told you to carry a weapon with you, you idiot. We've given Mark your rations as a way of thanking him for saving your life. I'm sure you won't mind. And now I have to work more to make up for your stupidity TT

Don't get yourself killed while we're not there to protect you. See you in a week :)

P.S.: Mark asked me to tell you you're an idiot."[/color]

He smiled and closed the message. Well, the crew seemed to taking it quite well. He expected them to be angrier. A bit relieved, he opened Joseph's message.

[color=f7976a]"That was incredibly stupid. We'll talk more when we get back. I'll make sure your possessions are safe until we can arrange them to be transported back to the City."[/color]

It was pretty much what he expected from Joshua, but it still made him dread the day he would have to meet his leader again. Joshua was not the kind to report these sort of incidents to the upper management, but Kostia did not look forward to the lecture he would get about safety and working as a team. He scrolled through the newsfeed, looking for something to distract him from the events of the past 24 hours.