"You did great out there. Let's get our MIA home."
Ritual holds tightly onto the wire, content as the wind whistles through her helmet vents. She looks down at the teal Extraction Pod under her feet, currently containing Tachanka, in stasis after a beating. She can see the Pioneer beneath it as they descend. Swiftly, she unlatches the cords that suspend the pod and slides down from it, opening it to see the man coated in foam lying eerily still.
"Head to decon', Shuhrat, and I'll catch up with you later. I've got him." She assures softly, more for her own sake. She lifts his arm over her head and easily carries the heavy man through the large doors and into the medical bay. Handing him off hesitantly, she sits outside the doors and patiently waits.
"Your work out there today is going to help tremendously with our future containment efforts, Kámámê." Thermite welcomes her return, gracing the room with a certain calmness. "Knowing how Archæans work... It's the first step to stopping them."
"I'm glad to be of service." She nods softly, her worried eyes meeting the man's, whose gentle expression soothes her.
"Operators in stasis usually turn up just fine after some rest." Thermite nudges her, giving her a friendly smile. "Once he regains consciousness, we'll let him know who brought him home."
"They're probably gonna be stripping that foam from him for a while, huh?" Ritual banters, a tiny chuckle escaping her nervous demeanor. He nods understandingly.
"Most likely, which is why you shouldn't wait here." His tone suddenly shifts, as he goes from leaning to standing with his arms crossed.
"I don't mind waiting, I want to make sure-"
"No no, it's not that." He shushes the woman, offering his hand. "You need to see this." He says firmly. Ritual slowly extends her hand, taking his and rising to her feet. She follows him to the briefing room, seeing a dark figure talking to Ash. Her eyes trace them curiously, and the conversation becomes clear as they approach.
"You seriously want to do this?" The woman sets down the folder she's holding, looking deeply into the person. "Sure, this might invalidate her assignment, but that means it could uproot yours, too." She reasons. "Do you really want to take that risk?'
"I've already put my life on the line for her more times than I could count... For her, I have to. I don't want to lose her again." The voice slices through her helmet. She takes a step back for just a moment, but Thermite turns and catches her wrist. His face is stern, but his eyes are sympathetic. She relaxes after a moment, nodding in understanding and continuing to walk with him.
"Kámámê, I'm glad you're back. That was amazing work out there." Ash greets as the man turns around, lifting his visor to lay his eyes on her. His deep brown eyes are softened as they meet hers, but she turns away. "Your partner reached out to me-"
"I-I'm not feeling well." Ritual chokes out, stepping back a little. Ash looks at Thermite for a moment, the two exchanging a knowing glance.
"It's okay, you've... Had a long day." She says slowly. "You deserve some rest. Jordan, can you escort her? Gunner and I need to talk more, privately."
"You got it." He nods, placing a hand on Ritual's shoulder and turning her away. Once they are out of earshot, he takes a cautious breath. "Something happen?"
"You could say that." Ritual shakes her head, approaching her door and swinging it open. "It's funny, I've... I've taken lives, survived bombs, been through hell on Earth... And yet, I can't talk to a man." She scoffs to herself in shame. Thermite only listens, giving her an understanding look before closing her door, locking all of her troubles on the other side.
Quickly releasing all of her gear and letting it hit the floor, she falls back onto the small bed with an anxious sigh. Her eyes hurt nearly as much as her knees. She pulls them up to her chest, curling up and shutting her eyes for a few minutes just to make the thinking stop.
"Kámá?" A knocking wakes her. She didn't realize she'd dozed off, but she wishes she wasn't awake now. She tiredly throws her legs over the edge of the bed, blankly leading her to the door.
"Who-" She rubs her eyes before standing up straight. "Alexsandr!" She softly exclaims, taking the large man's hands. He nods, his brown eyes meeting hers. "How are you feeling, are you alright? Are you hurt?"
"Me? Ha!" He says sweetly, and she can hear his smile. "The medics said that you're the one who brought me." He puts one arm around her, using the other to plant a finger to her chest.
"Of course, it's not the first time I've bailed you out of something bad." She chuckles teasingly, taking his hand.
"And not the first time you've rubbed it in my face!" He rolls his eyes, shaking his head at her.
"Definitely not the last, either." She playfully bumps her helmet to his, almost like a friendly kiss. "You should probably rest," She then warns, slipping from under his heavy arm. "You must be sore, big guy."
"A little." He shrugs when she pats his broad chest with the back of her hand. "What about you? You look like hell." His eyes notice how dark and dull hers were.
"Don't I always? That's my home, da?" The woman sighs softly, an exhausted chuckle escaping her. "Don't worry about me. I'm happy you're safe."
"Sure." He nods before pulling her into a tight hug. He could see that she needed it. She hesitates for a moment, surprised, before hugging him back. Her arms around his shoulders, she takes a deep breath, enjoying the brief moment of safety. He bounces excitedly afterwards. "Does that mean you're inviting me in?" He teases, raising his brows and nudging her.
"You're a bit late to the punch, Chanks!" Ritual shakes her head, blushing profusely. "I'm... I'm off the market."
"Damn!" He clicks his tongue. "And you didn't tell me about it?"
"I didn't tell anyone about it!" She quickly shushes the man, playfully pushing him towards his own room. He resists, the two yapping at each other in Russian the whole way, until she forces him inside.
"I'll see you soon, doll." The man settles, peeking through the door. "Be good."
"Da. Be careful, Alex." She waves to her friend with a small smile, closing the door once more and approaching her bed. It was late, when all the talk had died down and most of the noise came from the sea. She looks around the room for a moment, immediately feeling empty. Something was missing. She shoves it out of her mind and lays down to return to sleep, but finds herself unable to get comfortable. She didn't like the empty sheets. She didn't like the missing warmth... The missing heartbeat.
Throwing herself back out of bed, she dons a thick black coat and boots. She hesitates when her hand reaches her helmet, feeling its scuffed surface. Something in her tells her to take it. Slowly, she picks up her balaclava and slides it over her dark hair, then her helmet. The cowardice of a mask made her feel ashamed rather than safe this time, but she can't bring herself to remove it.
The walk is short, quiet. She steps out onto the raised platform, slowly approaching the metal railing and grasping it. The moon hung low in the sky, a deep yellow crescent on the black horizon. She hears a singular step behind her over the waves, knowing immediately who it could be.
"I knew you'd come, Gunner." She says briskly, not moving. "You always come back, don't you?"
"How could I not, Kámá?" He says softly, stopping a few feet behind her. "I don't want to run anymore, I don't want to hide myself from you. I don't want anymore lies."
"These empty promises coming from the ghost of the man I knew... Haunting me all over again. And I thought we shared that sentiment." She turns around, looking sternly over him. He seemed to be shaking. "You made me feel like I could open up and tell my truth. You made me think I could move on from the man I loved back then. You made me feel like I was betraying my heart by letting him go. But it was you... You were right here, betraying me the whole time... Now I don't know what my truth is."
"Kámámê, please--"
"I came here to do something much bigger than myself." She looks up slightly, trying to keep her tears from falling. "I came here to work. This is about stopping the Parasite. Unless you have any intention of doing the same, I'm not going to waste my fighting energy fighting back tears."
"I..." He trails off, clasping his hands together nervously. Helplessness lined his tongue. "I don't want you to use that energy on me either. I want to fight with you, not against you."
"We have a common enemy." She quickly replies, taking a step forward. "Our own demons... Kali, and everything she's done to us. Fight that... And then you come find me." Walking past him coldly, suddenly she stops in her tracks. Something in her wanted so badly to turn around and apologize, to throw herself back into his arms and love him once more. It felt as though a string yanked her heart the further she got from him, yet she took it in her fingers and pulled back, biting her lip and retreating to her room for the night. Even in the empty room, she could feel him as if he was standing just in that spot, waiting.
And he was. He kept a hand over his chest, feeling his misplaced heart, before looking at his fingers as though he had felt the string, too, or perhaps his heart was melting through them again. The jaundiced moonlight led him to retreat.