2 days
Cold.
She awoke, immediately gasping for air. The intake shot needles of pain through her entire abdomen, ringing down her ribcage. The only thing she could focus on was the dark clouds above her. They moved by in slow motion, black as smoke. Her thoughts progressed as if she was rebooting.
“Arg-” Pain, strong and clear. “Argo?”
Nothing.
She clenched and unclenched her hands, feeling the dirt underneath them. It fell easily around her arms, and when she turned her head, she realized whatever she was in, it was bowl-shaped. A crater.
“I fell.” She mumbled in slight shock, recognizing her own breath on her face. The mask was still on. “Ar...go?”
She remembered watching him fall over the edge of the ship, the pit of her stomach getting cold. But the idea that he was gone was vehemently rejected. She would search.
With a great heave of effort, she rolled over, and pushed herself out of the crater. Her arm hurt bad, but it was nothing to the blinding pain of her chest. She held her hands over the pain, quietly whining.
The City around her was shattered and burned. The road broke in several places in front of the place she’d fallen, and the stores that lined the street were black with shadows and smoke. Ash covered the front of her, as well as almost everything in sight.
The humming of an unfamiliar ship got louder, jumpstarting her heart. She scrambled to the shadows in the corner, holding her chest and biting her tongue. She watched as a loud Cabal cargo ship rumbled past her street, a spotlight slowly tracing over the broken cement.
It disappeared from view within minutes, but the adrenaline still pumped through her.
“Argo?” She slowly trudged out of the corner and into the street. Every motion made her flinch. Her voice came out scratchy. Unused. How long was she out? She coughed. “Argo?”
No response.
Desperately, she wanted to reach out with her Light. But the absence of it drained her to the brink, and no matter the effort, nothing would arise.
A new noise joined the chorus of nothings in her surroundings. A sound she recognized. Her eyes flicked up hopefully.
“Argo?”
A ghost scanned a pile of rubble, shaking with effort. But when she spoke, he turned with knowing speed. “...Callisto?”
She smiled, collapsing.
“Callisto, oh my god.” He sped to her immediately, scanning her. “You’re alive. Your ribs are broken. I can fix it. I can fix it.” He scanned her, and the pain thankfully dissipated. “I can’t even begin to say how happy I am to see you.”
“Right back at you.” She pushed herself off the dirt, and reached out. He accepted her hug eagerly. “How long have I been out?”
“2 days.”
“Oh god.”
“I was so scared I’d never find you…” He disappeared, and she heard his voice echoing through her helmet. “You’re never leaving me again.”
“I’m trying not to.” She bitterly chuckled.
“What happened to you? After the Light…?”
She grimaced, even though the pain was gone. “I tried to hold onto you. But he kicked me. Once, and I lost you over the edge. Twice, and I fell into the City.”
“You fell from the command ship?”
“Yes.”
“I…” His voice paused. “And only a few broken ribs. I would say I couldn’t believe you survived that kind of fall, but. Here both of us are.”
“How long have you been awake?”
“A day. I woke when the emergency broadcast started playing.” His voice grew somber. “Rendezvous coordinates. The Cabal completely took over the City. They’re evacuating the planet.”
She paused. The weight of everything pounded down on her shoulders.
“Do you know if anybody..?”
“Survived? No.”
The chilling rumble of another ship began to shake the street.
“We have to escape. Now.” The panic in his voice amplified hers. “I can’t revive you. We have to run, and we have one shot.”
“Where do I go?”
“I’m going to mark the way to the wall on your visor. But I cannot stress this enough. Do not speak. And do not get seen.”
She nodded shakily, and began very carefully towards the first point.