Page 98 of Gates of Tartarus

For a moment there is nothing, then a low, guttural curse echoes from the tunnel, followed by a harsh admonition for silence. Not a second later the walkie-talkies around us burst into life, and a frenetic voice booms over the hand-held radios.

“We’ll need more ambulances. Call them in from surrounding areas. As many as possible. Warn Kindred, Virginia Mason, and Washington State to ready their ERs. We’re going to need psych on hand as well. We need water stat, at least five... what? Roger. Six more oxygen tanks immediately. Lower a Swiss seat, if possible. We need to widen the hole. No chance we can get the victims up through that fast enough safely. No one comes down without being masked. The air isn’t...”

Silence again for the briefest of moments, then everyone around us explodes into action. Blankets are lowered down, and Hideo emerges looking wet and shaken. He rushes over to the nearest ambulance, grabbing one of the waiting EMTs, directing him towards the hole, then goes to talk to a second group, who fly into motion, setting up mobile beds and readying what look to be IV machines. All the while, through all the noise, no other voices are heard.

Walker’s mud-covered face rises from the pit looking grim, and he scans the area before his eyes come to rest on me. Heaving himself out of the opening, he moves towards me with a dark purpose, his body blocking my view of the proceedings.

“Come on.” His rough voice wraps around me, shaking me slightly from my stupor. “Come on,” he repeats, leaning over and picking me up like I’m a child. I stare at him, confused, and Gemma trails after us, still holding my hand, making Donovan’s gait awkward. He moves slightly to allow Gemma space and continues towards the nearest ambulance. Shaking my head, I moan slightly as the massive headache sitting behind my eyes ricochets around my brain.

“I can’t!” I whisper. “Not until they’re out of there.”

He frowns, a savage look on his face. “You don't need to see that.”

“I–” I begin.

Stopping, he stares directly into my eyes until he sees them focus slightly on his. “No. Please, Kailani. Just... you don’t need to see that. Please. Can you just wait in an ambulance for a minute? Just sit. You don’t need to go anywhere. You can stay until the end, if you promise to go to the hospital immediately after. But can you just trust me this once? You don’t need to see any of that.”

I make a sound of agreement, and he walks forward, then lowers me onto the stretcher inside of the ambulance. “Just stay here, okay? Maybe sleep if at all possible. Do what you need to to protect yourself.”

An EMT approaches from behind, and he and Donovan exchange quiet words for a minute. Donovan’s face tightens, and he nods sharply before turning to me. “Hey, Kai? Do me a favor and don’t hate me too long for this, yeah?”

My brow furrows in confusion, then I feel a small prick by my elbow. Looking down, I see a needle in my arm, and a very focused nurse depressing a plunger full of clear liquid into my vein.

“Wha…?” I begin, the world suddenly swimming around me, my limbs feeling heavy and unwieldy. “What?” I try again, but my eyes are already closing.

Donovan leans over my face briefly, saying, “Sorry, Kai. But I had to.” I can’t respond as cool, cool darkness swirls through me, and the world finally, and mercifully, disappears.

???

I wake up between minutes and hours later, staring at my surroundings, completely confused. Gemma is curled up beside me, and I smile at the way her nose twitches in her sleep, wondering how she ended up in my room again. I wrack my memory trying to find the missing pieces as my eyes close again, involuntarily. My head is killing me, my arms feel weird, my bed is strange. Beginning to feel uneasy, I desperately search for missing answers. There’s a loud thunk from near the door, and my eyes fly open, causing my head to pound, and the world comes rushing in in a giant wave of color and sound. Outside there is a constant commotion of focused voices, brief calls and replies, of car engines, and the low thrum of some unknown machinery.

Gemma is dead to the world, fast asleep next to me, her hand gripping mine firmly. My face creases in pain and confusion looking at her, and I extricate my hand gently, knowing her well enough to know that there’s no chance she’s going to wake up from my movement. Twitching nose meant deep, deep sleep for Gem. Sitting up slowly, trying to keep my head from falling off my body, I look around carefully. I’m in an ambulance but have no IV or ties to the bed or area. Cautiously I flex my mental shields, wincing as they slice the edges of my mind like tiny slivers of glass. I build as much as I am able to protect myself and slip out the door quietly.

I’m in a... factory, maybe? The last few hours are missing, and my head feels like it’s a million pounds. I’m surrounded by orderly chaos, the overhead lights glaring and making me wince. Leaning against a wall, I try again to find that missing time and am rewarded with a vague impression of Donovan apologizing to me as a nurse sticks a needle into me. Glancing down at my arm, I see a Band-Aid at the crook of my elbow, confirming my memory. I’m guessing at least an hour has passed. The effects of whatever tranquilizer I was given are making me slow and heavy, like I am swimming through quicksand, and my eyes refuse to stay focused. Stumbling forward, I bump into several people, apologizing quietly as they look at me with wide eyes before moving on. I pause, unnoticed, about fifteen feet from a large hole in the floor. Two men are turning a wheel attached to a rope, and just as it crests the top of the hole, so does Smith’s head. He’s supporting a woman’s body, which has a rope attached to some kind of hard seat. As they reach the top, Smith supports the woman’s head, and two other men gently pull her up and onto a waiting stretcher. Her head lolls to the side, and I meet her open eyes unintentionally.

They’re completely empty. Glassy and vacant, her gaze is locked on something far away from me. It’s clear she’s alive, if you can call it that, but her mind isn’t there. Her face is gaunt and hollow, grey beneath her eyes and around her mouth. It’s clear that she’s been underground for some time. There’s dark bruising around her throat, fingerprints clearly visible, and a mottled purple yellow covers her bare arms. Her head is shaved, covered only by a short, pale fuzz. My eyes widen in horror and fill with tears. Blinking furiously, I try to get myself under control and wrap my arms protectively around myself. Falling apart now isn’t going to help anyone.

Shivering uncontrollably, beginning to panic, I move forward slightly, and from across the crowd Hideo’s head snaps up and focuses on me instantly, as though he can sense my presence. He immediately leaves the group he’s speaking with and comes to meet me, moving towards me with a laser focus. He slows as he gets near to me, seeming almost cautious. I’m sure he wants to downplay our friendship, as we agreed upon when we’re on a work site, but I’m too close to breaking, and I fall into his waiting arms as soon as he’s near me, inhaling in his comforting scent deeply, trying to calm my breathing. He whispers softly against my hair, nothing I can understand, just soothing sounds that sink into my bones, the palms of his hands warm against my skin. I soak him in, this closeness, and bury my face in his neck. He seems startled, and unsure, but the need to have him close to me overrides anything else.

If Hideo is here, it’s going to be okay,my mind repeats over and over again.Hideo’s here, so it’s going to be okay. Whatever is happening, he’s here and he’ll make it alright.I move into him desperately, pressing against him as tightly as I can, trying to wipe the woman’s face from my mind. His arms tighten around me, steel cords flexing around me, his warmth seeping into me and helping steady my breathing. Someone calls his name, and he waves them off, then rests his head against mine. A second voice calls him, and he looks up again, clearly frustrated.

“Wait here,” he says softly, sitting me in a nearby chair. “I’ll be right back. I promise you. I’ll be right back.”

I grab at his hand frantically. “No!” I try to shout, my voice coming out like gravel. I try again. “No! I... Deo, I don’t understand what’s going on! I – where are we? Why were Gemms and I in an ambulance? Why did Walker give me a tranq?Why does my head hurt? Deo, what’s wrong with me?”

His eyes fly open, and he sinks down to the ground in front of me. “You don’t remember anything?”

Brow furrowed, I try desperately to focus, but my thoughts are like tiny fish, darting through my brain. “I can’t get my brain to work! Did I hit my head? What’s going on?”

He clenches his jaw and stares at the ground. “We’ll... You're exhausted, Kai. Let me go answer Smith, and then I’ll come straight back, I swear to you.”

I shake my head, brain sloshing from side to side, little lightning bolts of pain electrifying pin pricks behind my eyes. “No, Deo, please. I’m scared. Something feels wrong. Please. I don’t want to be without you. I just feel like... if you’re here, maybe it’s all going to be okay. I need to stay with you. Please.” My words feel thick and heavy, and I can’t control what I’m saying.

Deo’s face creases in pain, and he closes his eyes tightly, flexing his jaw. Shaking his head slightly, he leans his forehead in to rest against mine and lets out a shaky breath. “Jesus, Kai. You’re never going to forgive me. You arenevergoing to forgive me. Everything has gone wrong.”

I pick my head up to stare at him and lay a hand against the side of his face. He turns his face into my palm, pressing a kiss into it before turning back to look at me.

“You’re scaring me, Hideo.”

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