The Time from Before

Minor Rebound

"Can you confirm user Allen Fletcher's condition?"

"Uh... What?" Callie blinked, startled by the sudden question. She was shivering from the cold, and didn't expect the PDA to say anything at all.

"Apologies. I repeat, can you confirm user Allen Fletcher's condition?"

"Well, he's not doin' so hot. He should be fine, but he asked me to charge you." She tapped her chin in thought. "Where are you in that charging thing?"

"This Unit is currently at four percent. Is Allen in danger?"

"He's on the verge of... death, I guess? Not really, but probably." Callie spoke, although she was contradicting herself. She didn't know much about human biology, that's for sure.

"Understood. This Unit will be silent for the next two minutes. Be careful handling this Unit, as it will be hot."

...

Right. Just two minutes.

Two... minutes.

Hm. How is he, anyway?

Allen's tough, but he looked bad. Like, bad bad. Like he was sick or something.

It worried her of course, but again, there wasn't much she could do about it. Hopefully, the PDA can do something. That something, however, is lost on her. She doesn't really know what it can do at all. It can translate, show pictures, and... Well, that's basically all she knows. If Allen relies so heavily on it, then it must be super important, right?

"Charging complete. Please move this Unit to Allen immediately."

Callie snapped out of her thoughts, hearing the PDA's voice again. She grabbed the device, immediately letting go.

"Ow!" She rubbed her hand. "You're so hot!"

"Apologies. The charging process can be accelerated in exchange for high temperatures. Again, please move this Unit to Allen immediately."

"Yeah, yeah, got it. Give me a sec." She blew on her hand, hoping that the burn she got would go away. "Quick question, are you waterproof?"

"Affirmative."

"Can I dump snow on you?" She asked, picking up a pile of snow before receiving an answer.

"If you believe that would make picking this Unit up more comfortable for you, then do so."

"Gotcha." She dumped the snow onto the device, watching as steam rose from the exterior.

She then tested the waters, poking the PDA. Not too hot, but kind of like a warm rock or something.

She picked it up, holding the PDA only where the snow touched it. The bottom of the device was still super hot.

Walking back over to the drone, she climbed on top of it and tapped her foot. Then she waved the PDA.

Nothing.

Maybe she has to do something else...?

"Engaging ATD now. Please be advised, the drone may shake if improperly used."

The drone under her feet came to life, the four propellers spinning up to speed. The signature whir made its appearance, and up the drone went.

It took about the same amount of time to get back to the concrete platform. This time, the drone lowered itself a little more, making Callie's jump a little easier.