Everything hurt. Ursa let out a muffled groan as she was pulled onto Emmett, her vision turning slightly blurry for a few moments. She listened to the assassin, as he stated he wouldn’t leave her and she smiled, not sure if she deserved such claims of friendship. She gave a soft, “Thanks, man.”
Suddenly Jean’s voice echoed through the coms, just as the door opened and a barrage of shots came their way. Ursa moaned wearily as Emmett whipped to the right, just barely clearing out of the way. Ursa used the momentum to kick off the ship, in order to propel Emmett out of the way but she kicked too hard and they fell. Emmett hit the ground hard, his form knocked out on top of her. Ursa let out a gasp of breath, her body struggling beneath the weight. She tried to shove him off, undoing the rope, but she was to weak. She listened wearily to the conversation between Naefario and Juniper, crying out when he offered her a deal, “DON’T DO IT JUNIPER! YOU DON’T….ahh...OWE US ANYTHING.”
Suddenly she keeled over, coughing as blood ran down her cheek. When Juniper made her decision, Ursa grit her teeth, watching Naefario with cold eyes, before her eyes rested on her stowaway. Just before they got on she spoke evenly, “Stay strong kid. Because I will find you.”
With that they were gone and Ursa let out a scream of rage, hearing footsteps and gunshots come forward. She turned her head to see Jean, about to speak when her body spasmed, her vision going blurry as she clutched at her chest.
Ursa called out weakly, tears running down her cheeks,“J..Je..Jean!!”
Her demeanor was in very bad condition, the deep gash in her leg was bleeding heavily, her eyes were turning black and blue, the bridge of her nose was cut, and her heart was dying. She tried to get her words out, “He...took..took...Jun..I couldn’t..stop...ahhhh..him.”
Stumbling to a stop beside her Jean dropped to his knees making a conscious effort to keep his hands from shaking. Ursa looked bad, the last two fights had done a number on her, beyond what a normal person should be able to handle. Well beyond. Stowing his pistol in its holster the sheriff took Ursa’s hand, giving it a reassuring squeeze. He looked scared, terrified that she might pass away in his arms.
“I saw, I saw and I tried to get here before he got away.” Jean ground his teeth in frustration. He’d made a promise to the Theonian royalty, that he’d keep her safe. They’d all sworn that oath, whether literally or figuratively, and they all failed. Whatever her fate now, it was outside of their immediate control. There was nothing more they could do for her, she would have to take matters into her own hands. “She’s a tough young gel,” Jean forced a reassuring smile, betraying his inner despair at any hope for Juniper’s wellbeing. “Reminds me of you, right. She’ll be fine, I know she will, but you... We gotta get you to the bridge and Taylor. You won’t do Juniper any good dead…”
Ursa nodded at him, trying to put up a fake smile of reassurance herself, “I..I’m..too stubborn to die. I think...”
Jean cast about the damaged airlock, searching for any sign of assistance. Everyone who’d been with them lay still as death, unconscious maybe, dead possibly. But no one fit to do anything more than groan. Jean himself wasn't in the best condition. His ribs were bruised black and blue, and drops of blood continued to trickle down his face from his broken nose and busted lip.
“Alone then,” he muttered, setting himself on one knee and taking Ursa’s arm by wrapping it around his neck. “This might hurt Miz. Cooper.” Jean warned, tensing his knees and back. With a grunt he lifted Ursa up, hoisting her across his shoulders in a fireman’s carry. Securing her arm and leg Jean staggered towards the bridge, a spasm of pain shocking his chest and ribs with every step. Gritting his teeth he ignored it marching steadily towards the bridge, Ursa draped over his back like some oversized shawl.
As Ursa was hoisted up she let out an agonized cry before she settled on Jean's back. She began to wheeze with each breath, tears streaming down her cheeks, as she struggled through the pain. As they walked she spoke quietly, “Is Takashi...ugh alive? And Anna?”
She leaned into Jean, trying to stay conscious as the blackness took her for a few minutes. It scared her. She shivered, terrified that she would close her eyes and never open them again. She whispered quietly, "I’m such a fucking idiot. I should have just...fuck.
given myself up and escaped...later. Then Juniper would have...shit.”
She sobbed quietly, the strength to repress her emotions gone for now.
“No,” Jean said, quieter then before. His breaths were coming in pained wheezes and he focused on putting one foot in front of the other faster and faster until he was almost running. Turning a corner he gave a small sigh of relief, the door to the bridge just ahead.
“You did what ya could, that’s what we all did. If Naefario had been allowed to take th’ entire damn ship and you he would have discovered Juniper anyway, killed me, and done who knows what to you. It's better that we’re all alive and free, capable of saving her, rather then everyone being dead or captured. You just gotta promise me to live, ya hear?”
Striding through the open hatch Jean slid Ursa as gently as he could off his back, reclining her against a nearby panel. Leaving her he rushed over to Taylor, pounding on the robot’s unresponsive metal head. “C’mon,” he muttered, pressing every button he could find on the small pink bot. “Turn on damn you.” He cast a worried glance over his shoulder at Ursa, worried she might pass out and fall.
Ursa let out another agonized cry, the pain too much as Jean lowered her against the panel. She slumped against it, her face very pale, as she looked up at him, her voice wheezy but her eyes determined, “I..promise.”
She watched him walk over to Taylor who seemed out of juice. As Jean began smacking the small pink bot, Ursa sunk lightly down, her eyes drooping. Suddenly Taylors cybernetic eyes came on, and he looked at Jean then over at Ursa. He spoke loudly, “TAYLOR ROBOT REBOOTED! SCANNING FOR INJURIES! PATIENT 3217, URSA COOPER IN CRITICAL CONDITION! BLOOD LEVELS LOW, BLOOD CLOT IN PULMONARY ARTERY, INFECTION IN LEG, MULTIPLE BRUISING AND CUTS!”
Ursa breathed out heavily, “Shit…”
Taylor twisted up horizontally, his arm whirling up and down, a glitch making his one arm roll in a 360 degree angle, “URSA IS DYING! SHE NEEDS SURGERY. SCANNING FOR SURVIVAL TO BASEMENT. 64% CHANCE! WE GO!”
Suddenly Taylor rolled over to Ursa, grabbing her good leg and then lifting her form into his small yet firm hands, before turning to Jean, “HUMAN MALE 200765, LOAD PROGRAM 765802 FOR CARDIOTHORACIC SURGERY ON Z-238 PLANET DISC.”
Suddenly Dill jumped in through the coms, “GOT IT! Meet you down there in a few, Mr Wylder.”
Suddenly Taylor was out the door and heading towards the basement. Ursa was barely awake now, her eyes turning to Jean, as he followed behind. As they reached the basement Taylor rolled over to a large white table with multiple mechanical arms, and a glass case, which was opening up, a light coming on to show that the machine was turning on. Taylor thrust Ursa on the table, and turned to Jean, “PATIENT 3217 SURVIVED TRANSPORT! TAYLOR ROBOT MUST LOAD INTO XEON PRO SURGERY MACHINE! PLUGGING IN!”
Suddenly a flap opened on the side of Taylor and a long cord jetted out to fit into a plug on the side of the machine. Once inserted Taylor spoke, “HUMAN MALE 200765, PREPARE 9PATIENT 3217 FOR SURGERY. CLOTHING REMOVAL SCANNING…? DISC INSERTED SCANNING…?”
Suddenly the room went silent and Ursa turned, gripping the side of the machine as she pulled lightly at her jacket, then her shirt, barely understanding why she was still able to move. She eyed Jean wearily, “Help me...If you say...ughhhh…” ,she coughed up some blood, “B..boob joke...I will hurt you..”
“You’re not in th’ condition to hurt anyone but yerself Miz Cooper.” Jean observed, stepping forward to provide his assistance. With practiced hands well versed in this field of expertise he undid the few buttons and zippers not burned away or broken, and eased Ursa’s arms from the sleeves, careful not to injure her further. He managed to remove the jacket without destroying it entirely, but Ursa’s bloodstained undershirt was another matter altogether. Drawing his knife he wiped the green blood from it on his jeans, removing the residue from his bout with Naefario, before making a series of cuts along her hem and sleeves, before tearing away the undergarment.
Jean averted his gaze, more out of habit then not else. He was used to hearing about the ‘police scandals’ where attempting to rescue someone’s life landed a Deputy or Officer a permanent mark on their record, or even a termination of service over misconduct charges. Granted his own badge was well on its way to permanent removal, alongside a lifetime in prison, so looking down at a wounded, derobed smuggler in concern for her wellbeing wasn’t the highest on his list of concerns for a dishonorable discharge. Jean’s not-so-well averted gaze landed on Taylor, the pink bot, and more specifically the sparking hole in his chest.
“You’ve got a great crew around ya Miz Cooper, some of th’ most loyal gang of smugglers I’ve ever met.. Not th’ least of which is that medical bot, with a questionable doctorate license program. He surprised me today, and more importantly he survived an’ surprised Naefario earlier. I dunno if y’all saw, he’s quite th’ brawler. Still…” Jean stared very pointedly at Ursa’s face. “I did see him try’n give Takashi a kidney transplant not ten minutes prior. He rebooted, but he’s not in his best condition sparking an’ smoking like that.” Jean grimaced as a stray spark landed on an alcohol swab that Taylor was holding catching it on fire. The bot seemed confused for a moment and then doused it by beating the flames out on the wall. As it stood the robot was Ursa’s only chance of survival, which didn’t satisfy Jean’s concerns in the slightest.
Ursa leaned against Jean as he went to work on her shirt, her body feeling heavier as the clothing was removed. She smirked at his response to her death threat and groaned, “You are...probably right.”
When she was laid back down, she covered her chest, too tired to be embarrassed of her small pizza tattoo or the bullet wound scar by her left hip bone. She eyed Jean quietly, listening to him talk about her crew as she struggled to stay awake, “Taylor?..Everyone..told me...he was...scrap...He...earned...his spot. Just like me, I...earned the loyalty....every member...is...my….family. A family….I made..”
She turned her head lightly to look at Taylor and the cotton swab and a small look of fear went over her. She turned to the door then up at Jean, yellow eyes staring out of the black, “Not...much...of...a...choice. Unless...you have….a degree...in...medicine?” She paused looking at his face before shutting her eyes in pain, “Didn’t think...so."
She kept her eyes shut for a few minutes shivering as a tear fell down her cheek, “Holy...shit..I…might die. I might….fucking...hahahahahahaah.”
Laughter filled the room before it died down to a cold silence. Ursa turned to Jean, the energy she had basically wiped, “You know...when I...saw….you...in...my...office, I heard….music. That’s...got...to...mean...something...right?.”
Suddenly the world turned black and Ursa fell back, her arms falling away from her as Dill burst into the room holding a copy of the Beastie Boys, ‘License to Ill’ album, “I GOT IT!!!!!”
He rushed over to Taylor, pushing a few buttons, inserting the disc in an open spot. Taylor blinked a few times his head whurring around before he spoke, “CLOTHING REMOVAL SCANNING: CLOTHES REMOVED. DISC INSERTED AND SCANNING: CARDIOTHORACIC SURGERY VOLUME 1 COMPLETED! PREPING FOR SURG...SURG...SURGERY! PATIENT 3217 IN EXTREMELY CRITICAL CONDITION. HEART RATE AT CRITICAL LEVEL!”
Dill, stood up taking a few steps back as Mac suddenly burst into the room, looking at Jean and his crewmate with wide eyes, “Both of you get out of here. I’ll stay with her. Jean go see Anna she can help you with some of your wounds and Dill, we need you to start tracking that pod before that bastard destroys the tracker. NOW GO!”
Dill looked like he was about to tear up, taking one more look at the captain before walking out, punching the wall before he left. Mac turned to look at Jean, “Thanks..for getting her here.”
“I’ll live, they ain’t but scratches.” Jean pulled a face, wincing as a stab of pain sliced through his battered ribs. He wasn’t in the best of shape, but Ursa was in a far worse condition, and someone had to keep an eye on Taylor, the bot being in an unpredictable state at best. Jean clutched the medical bed’s rim with white knuckled hands willing the pain away, and succeeding moderately. Despite being a little unsteady, and the constant stinging from his face and the dull ache around his ribs he was at least fairly sure he’d escaped permanent or lasting harm. A remarkable thing really, considering Naefario’s strength and skill, they were lucky no one had perished in the conflict, though the possibility of a casualty was still very apparent as the heart monitor connected to Ursa flickered smaller and smaller.
“We got lucky,” he said acknowledging Mac’s thanks with a nod, but not moving from his spot. “There’s no saying we’ll get lucky again. That pirate might not have a big ship anymore, or a crew full’a cutthroats, but he’s got himself valuable hostage, and half of us are beaten black and blue in no condition to fight. I’ve seen a few hostage crisis in my career, an’ they don’t always end happy. What ya reckon we’re gonna offer him, or do to trick him when we catch him?”
Mac let out a sigh, rubbing his hands through his metal dreads, as the metal arms on the mechanical table began to move, a scan moving over Ursa before one arm with a laser point moved down to Ursa’s chest. Mac spoke quietly, “Suit yourself, you look like shit though! As for that see dog we know where he is going. Magana Xeron is the lead place for a slave trade. The highest buyers will be there and...we...well Ursa has a high clearance to get us into a dealers room. He’s not our only problem though. All these attacks are planned and if we have a chance of getting anywhere, or surviving in general we need more supplies. Anesthesia for one...and a hell of a lot more fuel. I’m taking us to our outpost first. It’s not great for time, but we won’t make it otherwise.”
As the metal arm was working away on Ursa’s chest with a gamma-ray, another was cutting off part of her pants to cut and stitch the knife wound to her leg. Mac looked over at Jean, watching him watch Ursa about to say something when the doors opened and Damian brought in an unconscious Emmett placing him on a chair, “Found him in the brig. He should be fine but brought him here just in case. Also look what Kira found! Gortj Juice. A full vat of the shit!”
He pulled out a few cans, of one of the best pain relievers in the galaxy from his pocket and handed one to Jean and Mac, “How is the Captain? Oh...Jeez..look at those..”
Mac smacked him upside the head, “OUT NOW! Stupid Idiot! Go help Kira with repairs!”
Damian rubbed his head, “Alright…They are nice though” He looked at Ursa one more time and nodded before heading out the door. Mac just shook his head and turned back to Ursa, “You better wake up to teach him some manners Bone-head, or I will break every one of those crappy earth tracks you love.”
Ursa remained silent as a response, the heart monitor shooting small blips in an unsteady rhythm.
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