Butterflies of the Dark Star

37 (REVISED)

"What do we do?" Ulin asked as the three of them set Neo down in a medical bed. "Should we stay here?"

Izerva returned from their exploration of the ground level. "There is no one else alive," they signed. "I found signs of a struggle, and the lift to the upper levels was destroyed." All three of them hovered at Neo's unconscious side. "We need to clean his wound first and foremost now that we have tools." Izerva twisted on their heel to rifle through the medical cabinets.

Ulin shuffled into the corner with a frown.

"Are you worried about Thuni?" Nova asked.

"He hasn't been himself," Ulin admitted. "There's something he neglected to mention. It wasn't just that he was being watched. He was irritable — and I know he seems the type to get easily irritated, but I think something's wrong with him."

"And this started when the shift did?"

Ulin nodded. "I don't know how else to explain it."

Nova chewed on her lip to sort out her thoughts, and moved out of the way when Izerva placed more supplies beside the trauma kit. "This is all I could find." Their ears pressed against their head and they bared their teeth. "I don't think we should stay here for long. I hear something, but I cannot say where it is coming from."

"Is it close?" Nova checked around the emergency dome.

Their ears perked. "No."

It'll have to be enough... the question is which one are they hearing? I let Thuni walk right back over there, but... he—it wouldn't hurt him, right? Nova poked Neo in the temple. "Are you still with us?"

Neo winced and tore open his eyes, back to the normality without the nebula to strangle his pupils. "No?"

"You know if it hit anything important?" she asked, ignoring his soft quip. He shook his head, and she said, "You're going to have to guide us. You're the one with medical experience."

Neo frowned. "I can try... but it's a little hard to think when I'm the one needing the medical experience." He shrugged his shoulders and rested his head deeper into the pillow.

Nova kept an eye on the entrance into reception and held Neo's hand as Izerva worked with Neo's quiet direction, until he fell silent with a wince when they pressed deeper into the wound. His hand squeezed hers, but she eyed Ulin. "Once we're done here, I'll go back and get Thuni. You three need to head to central command." One check on Neo, the nebulous tendrils never swallowed him again. He considered her with a thoughtful twist to his lips. "Get him help there."

"You shouldn't go alone," Neo argued, then squirmed when Izerva wiped the wound with disinfectant.

Nova opened her mouth to push his argument to the side, but hesitated. "What would you suggest, Neo?"

Neo shifted his knees. "You need something from their core, right?" he whispered weakly. "You mentioned you think it has some nullifying effect against the anomaly?"

"Yes, but I don't have a lot of time, and in your condition I don't feel comfortable dragging you back there," Nova pointed out. Weariness carved through his brow when he placed his arm over it, and she bit down on the despair. "Fine. I can go with you to center command to make sure you get there, but after I need to go get the core."

"I guess that's all I can ask for..."

Nova tipped her head. "Wow, I expected you to put up more of a fight, considering you wouldn't let me leave before."

He squinted at her. "Huh? I did? Last thing I remember is passing out in western transit."

Nova eyed Izerva for an explanation, but their tail flicked with an uncertain, twitchy motion. Alarms rang out, and there was no time to press for an answer. "We have to go," she said and helped Izerva detach the medical pod from the vitality station. Neo relaxed and closed his eyes. "I don't want to be stuck here if they close down the facilities."