.

.

.

Carefully I plucked the now empty dart from her neck. A drop of blood welled up from the tiny hole in her skin.

I should leave.

I shouldn't be here.

She needed to be safe.

But I couldn't let her go.

I held her closer.

Barely remembered not to put pressure on her injuries.

"I'm sorry, Valeriy," I mumbled into the top of her head. "I'm so sorry."

"Can't say I can find any fault with what happened. You stopped her from doing something she shouldn't, which was the whole point of this little... exercise. I didn't think you had it in you. Congratulations on proving me wrong, Mr. Barnes. You got what you wanted. I'll have the weaponry you requested gathered and delivered."

It didn't feel like it.

I didn't want this.

To know I could hurt somebody who –

A wet nose bumped into my cheek. Sniffing. A slobbering tongue raked up my face. A soft yip of a bark sounded right at my ear.

"Ixie...."

She nudged her head against mine. The force behind her almost pushing me over.

A sigh sounded from the speakers, and then a pulse echoed out of all of them. Filling the entire room. Drowned out my own thundering at my ears. Pulsing in time with Valeriy's. So loud I could barely hear anything else. Not Ixie's bark. Not her words.

"She's alive, Mr. Barnes. Her vitals are fine. Her readouts are looking better. No longer stressed and scared. They've been calming down since she took hold of the gun."

Graphs popped up on the windows. Some moved down slowly. Some stayed still.

Cortisol. Oxytocin.

"She needs the rest. The chances of her microsleeping were high for tomorrow's supply pickup.... She'd never find her way of out the tunnels if it happens during that mess.... You didn't kill her. You actually saved her in the long run."

"Did you know?" I growled out, unwilling to let go of Valeriy.

The heartbeat lowered in volume.

"Apologies. I missed that. I haven't mastered gritted teeth lip reading."

"Did you know she was going to shoot herself!?!"

"Can't say I'm particularly surprised. This has crossed my mind when she offered to... manipulate you into darting her, but we only talked about how manipulating you would make the whole thing moot. Seemed she found a way around it.

"If it makes you feel any better, she had faith that you'd stop her before shot herself. The usual uptick of cortisol when she knows she's about to do something painful wasn't there, even though, knowing her, she had every intention of following through."

"It doesn't."

I don't feel any better.

Even if my heart rate slowed from the panic. The sound of hers forced mine to slow. Couldn't hear the fear in it. Only a steady beat.

"...I could have killed her."

"As much as I've hoped you'd have proved me right to her, you haven't. You have about eight much deadlier options to use hidden on you and you picked the dart revolver instead. Besides, if you meant to kill Val, those two would have torn you to shreds as they're supposed to."

That's reassuring.

So long as Ixie and Zephyr were around, she'd stand a chance of surviving if... if I....

"And I hate to admit this, but you might be behind the reason why they haven't been relegated to the usual task of dragging Val's body back after a mishap on the mountain."

I glance down at Valeriy. Had to block a white paw from clubbing her face.

She didn't look dead. She seemed peaceful. Her chest moving with each breath. She's alive.

"Shall I turn up the volume to her pulse?"

I shook my head, getting up off the floor with the sleeping woman.

She didn't turn it off. I didn't ask either.

"Most of us usually leave her there after darting her."

Ixie and Zephyr followed. One of them nipping at my heel as I walked to Valeriy's room. Found myself unable to open her door. Even when it swung open, I couldn't step inside. Stomped down a shiver from the cold air spilling through the doorway.

"I'm sure she wouldn't mind if you tossed her inside."

"I'm not going to throw her."

"You're not exactly walking into her room."

"...."

"As much fun it is to watch you wander about trying to find a way to tuck Val in and not let her go, might I suggest you skip to piling up on the couch? And spend the next eight to nine hours waiting for her to wake up while hoping she wouldn't be chewing into your arm again."

With a deep breath in, I stepped through the doorway. Into the cold room. I could feel the frown on my lips.

Stayed away from the glowing wall. The one with the snapping flower. The only source of light in here that didn't spill in from the hall. The sea of stars above likely not enough light for her.

A mechanical hum sounded from the ceiling. A chunk of it sliding away. Her bed. Only lowered to 362 centimeters off the floor.

I rolled my shoulder to shift Valeriy's head. Didn't want it snapping back on the way up.

The bed shook and swung. Jerked under us when the ropes on the left side pulled taut. Halting the bed.

The A.I. ghost.

She countered each movement with the ropes. Pulling and dropping them whenever the bed wobbled. Made drawing back the comforter easier.

'...Where... where do I put her....?'

33 pillows piled on the bed. Some atop of each other. No room to lay her down. Except for the little 23 by 23 centimeters square center of the bed. Framed by the pillows. No way that she'd fit in there. Even if she curled up into a ball.

'What? What does the square mean...?'

A picture on the curved windows lit up the room. A massive overhead picture of Valeriy sleeping. Most of her covered by the comforter.

'...Bottom goes here...? Head... which pillow is that? This one?'

Some pillows were soft. Some pillows were hard. Some pillows were bulky. Some pillows were thin. Some pillows had soft beads. Some pillows had hard beads.

'...No. This one...?'

Three red dots landed on three pillows.

Made sure her hair wasn't stuck under her.

'Arms go...?'

Before I could move them, her limbs slipped between and wound around the pillows. Snuggling down into them until she was half hidden away.

When she used a pillow as a blanket, I pulled the comforter over her. Tucked it around her shoulders.

Had to check that she had a pulse. Even if the A.I. ghost still played it on all the speaker.

There.

I did it.

I tucked her in.

She's alive.

I didn't wander back and forth with her.

.

.

.

Author's Note:

If you enjoyed this part, please consider leaving a vote. They're very much appreciated. ^^

And a big thank you to TinselA/Bunny Carrot (https://www.fanfiction.net/u/7591081/) and the Anonymous Fifth Beta for Beta-ing this chapter.