You snap into consciousness as you hear someone shouting.
Gruff male voice:
“Fucking waste, sir! Green is a lost cause! Flooded and shot up and the dome is busted! Looks like they crashed into it when trying to force their way to the sub bays or something.”
Male voice:
“Survivors?”
Gruff male voice:
“Two, but I think the other one might be gone. Best get more hands in here so we can move them, though.”
There is a pause, you can barely register sounds of footsteps around you.
An unknown pair or strong hands grab you and carry you for a short distance before setting you down on a plain metal floor again.
You try to open your eyes, but only manage a slight twitch of your eyelids. The effort hurts and you head throbs like it's about to explode.
Female voice:
“Good to see you again, Henderson. How are they holding down there? How many left?”
Male voice - Henderson:
“Can’t say, I’d guess about a dozen, could be more. They finally smartened up and shot the surveillance cameras down there.
With green lost and blue gone silent, all I can guess is they outnumber us now, but not by much, and we’ve got a better position.
Let’s just hope they don’t figure out how to get inside the security rooms...”
Female voice:
“Casualties in the last attempt?”
Henderson:
"We lost two men, headshots, no time to even... Yeah, we're down to twelve men down there, three more injured.
We really need to get down there in case they try again."
Female voice:
“Of course. Let’s not give them more time, then, once we get this dealt with, you can go back to the others.”
Henderson:
“Hell of a risk we took, compared to the reward. We might have been better off had we not sent the sub to pick these guys up.
I would have hoped for more survivors from green...”
There is a short pause.
Henderson:
“He’ll live, at least?”
Female voice:
“I think so. Lucky man, looks like the safety helmet saved him in the end. The bullet ricocheted off the skull, judging by how the skin has been torn.
He’s probably got a hell of a concussion and it’s a miracle they...”
Gruff male voice:
“The other one’s dead, gone during transit. It’s a miracle he was conscious when we got to them, what with that loss of blood.”
Female voice:
“Shit! Okay, get him out of the sub for now. Look! I think he can hear us... Give me that medkit!”
Henderson:
“Shit, I think you're right! I’ll get the stretchers, we’ll take him up top so the doc can sedate him and do what he does best before we head down again.”
Female voice:
“Gimme a minute and I’ll have him ready.”
Henderson:
“Sure. Waterson, lock up the sub and get down to level 4, you know what to do.”
Gruff male voice - Waterson:
“Sir!”
The conversation means little to you and you don’t recognize any of the voices. The sounds seem to echo around you and you wish you hadn’t regained consciousness.
The pain is overwhelming and you would scream if you could, but you muscles still disagree with you and all you can muster is a weak exhale.
Female voice:
“If you can really hear me, relax, this will help...”
You barely register the needle in your flesh, the sting such a small sensation compared to the burning in your head.
The injection takes effect quickly, however, and your brain goes numb, the pain subsiding as you slip back into the darkness.
---
You awaken to a dull pain in your head. You feel like you’ve been run over by a raging bull or something, but at least you are alive.
You open your eyes and are greeted by a bright fluorescent light.
It takes you a minute, but eventually your eyes adjust to the light and you can make out your surroundings.
You appear to be lying on your back on some sort of mattress in a large room.
A large table that would normally have taken most of the room has been tuned on its side and propped up against the wall, with a dozen chairs lined up next to it.
You can see several discarded items around you, as well as a couple of other mattresses, blood stained and messy.
Used syringes, bandages and other medical items on the floor tell you that this room has been used as a makeshift infirmary or dressing station, but it seems you are alone for now.
An IV stand stands next to you, connected to the back of your hand with a line. Looks like the IV bag has run out a while ago.
You think you can also spot a piece of paper with writing on it taped to the IV bag.
It’s eerily quiet in here: no footsteps, no gunshots, no running water, no humming air conditioners, nothing at all.
Even your own breathing sounds loud all of a sudden.
