"You did what?" Clovis demanded angrily, slamming his fist on the desk. Calix and Akilah subconsciously flinched in their seats at the sudden outburst, but Kairo only glared back fiercely, pressing his nails to his palms. He was expecting this type of reaction, but that didn't mean he necessarily agreed with it.
"Clovis, we had no other options. Either way they would've known we were there."
"Allowing the random Scrounger to throw out possibly unfounded claims still would've been better than engaging them like that. And on top of everything, not one, but two of your team sustained significant injuries. Akilah, I expected better than this."
"My apologies. I won't happen again—"
"Shut it," Kairo interrupted, throwing a glance at the dark haired girl and rising to his feet. "It was my fault."
"Me too," Calix added quickly. "We didn't listen to what she told us."
"And why not?"
"Because we wanted to find out more," Kairo explained. "We all know that government has been cracking down on us recently, as seen with the base in the Northern Sector being discovered and overrun. They're following every little lead they can gather up, and it seems that they're offering quote unquote 'lenient' treatment to those who can provide any sort of info about us. Things aren't looking good."
Clovis leaned back in his seat, his rage not subsiding and an angry look remaining on his face, his eyebrows knitting together and his mouth curved into a deep frown. "You sure didn't help the situation then."
"To hell with that," Kairo burst out, ignoring the warning looks thrown at him by the members of his team. "Can't you see that we could be next? That one day, they'll find us hiding here and attack when we least expect it? What will we do then? How many lives are we going to risk? How long—"
"Enough!"
"—before we're all killed or captured and tortured to death?"
"I said, enough!"
Kairo clenched his jaw. "So what are we going to do about it?"
"That is none of your concern at the moment. We will let you know when we've decided our course of action, once Julia arrives."
"Oh, you're just gonna discuss it in a committee again? When's the last time that worked?"
"That is not up to you to decide."
"And how do you know Julia is even coming? She could've been killed already and you wouldn't even know."
"Kairo!" Clovis bellowed, rising to his feet and looking the younger boy dead in the eye. "I will not tolerate this kind of behavior!"
"And what are you going to do about it, hm?" Kairo challenged, placing his hands on the desk and leaning forward, not breaking eye contact. "Punish me?"
"As a matter of fact, yes. For here on, you are forbidden to go out on any scavenging missions, much less step foot outside, until you clean up your attitude. You will be subject to the commands of all the others, even your colleagues and subordinates, and must do whatever they tell you to. I've tolerated this for far too long, and it's about time you were taken down a rung."
Kairo rolled his eyes. "Oh, dear, I'm so sad now."
"Keep this up, and I will not hesitate to have you thrown out."
"You wouldn't dare."
"Do you want to test me?" Clovis sneered, harshness wrapping around each syllable of his words and making Kairo falter slightly. He hesitated briefly, allowing the words sink in for a moment, making his blood run cold. Before he could say something he would regret, Kairo was yanked back roughly, stumbling over himself and falling back into his seat.
"He understands," Calix cut in, standing up to face Clovis. "And he won't do it again."
"Hey, don't s—" Kairo attempted to protest, but a tight grip on his shoulder from Akilah shut him up.
"I want to hear him say it," Clovis stated, not taking his eyes off the blue eyed boy. Kairo's hands clenched into fists when he caught sight of a partially triumphant glint in the man's eye. Akilah tightened her grip on his shoulder, causing a sharp pain to shoot through his muscles.
"I...understand..." he grumbled through clenched teeth. "And I won't do it again."
Clovis settled back down. "Good. And if you do, known the consequences will be worse. You all are dismissed. Get out the hell of my sight."
Standing up immediately, Kairo turned and barged out, muttering profanities under his breath. He began to make a beeline for his room when a hand grabbed onto his shoulder, spun him around, and then slammed him aggressively against the wall.
"You dumbass," Akilah snapped, her blue eyes blazing. "Don't you know when to shut up?"
"What, you expect me to just take that from him?"
"Of course! Even if his choices can be irritating, there was no use starting a whole argument over that."
"Akilah, none of them know what they're doing. We'll all gonna be in danger if we don't act soon."
"So, what, you think you're good enough to take control, hm? That you know exactly what to do in these situations?"
"No, but..."
"Exactly," she huffed, releasing him roughly and backing away. "And now you've just made everything worse. Thanks a lot."
"I obviously didn't mean for—"
"What were you expecting to happen? That he'd actually listen to you? After all the stunts you've pulled, much less with that insolent tone?"
Kairo was silent, at a lost for words. Akilah scoffed, turning on her heels and leaving him standing there. Sighing loudly, he ran his hands through his hair in frustration. The feeling of a hand on top of his caused him to shift his attention to his friend standing next to him.
"Gee, thanks," he muttered sarcastically. "You didn't even back me up."
"Naw, I was too busy enjoying your little drama," Calix chuckled, ruffling his friend's hair, knowing how much he hated it. "But I did save your ass from getting into hotter water back there."
"He wouldn't actually send me out."
Calix shrugged. "Maybe. But I wouldn't push it if I were you. You're already one of his least favorites."
"Ya think?" Kairo grumbled, trodding down the hallway to their room. "But whatever. It's not my problem that he doesn't have his shit together."
"Yeah, well, I guess we'll just have to wait and see how things'll play out. As for now though, get ready for a truckload of demands from all the others who'll be eager to boss you around."
Kairo groaned. "I'll just hide in my room until it's over."
"Like that'll even work. I bet your first demand will come within the next 5 minutes."
"Great, now that you said it, it'll actually come true."
No sooner had those words left his mouth before Tycho, a boy whom Kairo personally hated approached.
"Yo, Kairo, it's your lucky day!" he announced, feigning cheerfulness. "You get to clean all the bathrooms!"
Kairo glared before sighing loudly. "Fine, whatever."
Calix elbowed him. "C'mon, I'll help you out so it gets done quicker."
He smiled slightly. "Thanks, bro."
***
Kairo flopped down onto his bed after hours of cleaning. "Dude, I'm exhausted."
Calix laughed, shutting the light off as he stepped out of their bathroom. "Who knew cleaning would be the thing to wear you out? You usually seem to have endless energy even after training or working out."
"It's probably because I'm in a bad mood," he muttered, staring up at the bottom of Calix's top bunk. "Plus, Inara wouldn't stop bugging me when I got to her room."
"She's still hitting on you?"
"Yeah, and it's irritating."
"Irritating?" Calix chuckled, running a hand through his wet hair and opening a drawer to find a new shirt. "She's like the catch of the whole base."
"Maybe in looks, but she's probably the one of the most obnoxious girls I've ever met."
"Pffftt," Calix wheezed. "That's harsh."
"I'm serious," Kairo replied, rolling over to rest on his side and propping his head up on his hand. "She and either Pryce or Tycho would make a great pair solely based on how much I hate all of them."
Calix was about to respond when they heard a knock on the door. They both quieted down, silently hoping that whoever it was would go away, but the person only rapped harder on the door. Calix reluctantly got up to get it while Kairo rolled over in bed.
"Tell them I'm sleeping," he grumbled.
Calix opened up to find a very annoyed looking auburn haired girl standing there. Her heterochromia eyes narrowed. "Where's Kairo?"
"He's sleeping."
"Bullshit. Kairo!" Caris barked, nudging past Calix and making her way into the room. Kairo ignored her until she was standing right next to him.
"You know, it's rude to invade someone's privacy like that."
"I don't care. There's something you need to take care of."
He groaned, not moving from where he was lying. "What now?"
"Apparently there's something wrong with one of the Blanks."
"So?"
"You have to go handle it."
"And why me?"
"Because you have to do as I say!"
"But what if I don't feel like it?"
"Just freaking do it and stop being difficult," she ordered, raising her voice louder than his.
"Fine, fine, whatever," he grumbled, dragging himself out of his bed. Not caring to straighten out his appearance in the slightest, he brushed past Caris, gave Calix a playful pat on the back and began making his way down to the holding cells once again. He couldn't help but drag his feet a little, hoping that the issue was nothing serious and that he could just go back to his room after a quick in and out. He stopped by the blond's room first, and got the same harsh reaction as he always did. This time, he couldn't help but snap back roughly, saying things he usually wouldn't even think of uttering.
When he peered into the brunette's room, he found her in her usual spot by the wall, but this time, she was curled into a ball with her knees pulled under her large shirt. She was facing away from the door and didn't even react when he swung it open entirely. Even from his distance, he could hear her labored breathing as she seemed to struggle to get air in and out, and he could see that she was shivering on the cold, hard floor. His annoyance soon melted away and was replaced by worry as he hurried over to her, crouching down to her level.
"Hey, what's wrong?" he asked, touching her arm gently with just his fingertips. As usual, he felt her tense up under his touch, but she said nothing about it.
"Don't feel well..." she murmured, not moving from her curled up position. "I don't know..."
"Where's the pain? When did it start?"
She paused. "In my stomach and my chest. It's been here since a while ago...more than a couple of days..."
"Why didn't you say anything?" he asked, a bit of annoyance making its way into his concerned tone. She noticed, and it made her feel slightly worse inside.
"I...didn't think anyone would help me."
He sighed, running a hand through his hair. "Can you stand?"
"I don't know," she said, slowly forcing herself off the ground into a sitting position, her small arms trembling with the effort. Her hair fell loosely around her shoulders and face, and she quickly moved to push it out of the way.
"Oh geez," he frowned, noticing her pale appearance and tired, sunken eyes. "You're a mess."
"You think I don't already know that?" she returned, a slight pinch of sarcasm woven into her tone. A chill ran through her and she shivered violently, placing a hand on the ground to steady herself. She felt like she had just been stabbed in the gut and her head ached.
He clicked his tongue. "Definitely in no position to stand. Uh....permission to carry you?"
"To where?" she barely managed to get out before coughing violently. She turned her face away from him, not wanting to meet his strong gaze.
He shushed her. "Don't talk if it's too hard. I'll take you to Doc. He'll help you out."
She simply hummed in approval, so he gently slipped one arm behind her back and the other under her legs to lift her up. Her body felt so small and frail in his arms and he held her so tenderly as if one wrong move would harm her. She leaned her head against his chest, shutting her eyes as she listened to his steady heartbeat as she felt her own slow. He looked down at her remorsefully, feeling her shivering.
"Hang on, darling. You'll be okay."