(Minute after the grenade blast.)

#017 ceases to fire but keeps her weapon trained on the doorway lest #32 return. Pressing her left hand to the gaping wound on George’s chest, she pushes as hard as she can. Unable to move either hand given the circumstances, #017 bends down and grips a corner of the duct tape with her teeth. Pulling sharply back, #017 rips the duct tape covering George’s mouth.

George’s mouth is rapidly filling with blood as #017 shifts her weight and forces more weight onto her hand. In shock and afraid George gurgles, “Miss Starr, am I going to die?”

#017 is silent for a moment before carefully answering the question. “I’ll do the best I can, George.”

George coughs as the bleeding between #017’s fingers trickle through and begins to drip onto the floor. “You’re a terrible liar, Miss Starr,” George breathlessly said.

“I’ve been told that,” #017 murmured.

George struggles to speak and breath at the same time, “You better go now, Miss Starr. There’s only about a minute left till the bomb goes off, I’ll be okay. Will you help me up, Miss Starr?”

#017 is still for a moment in understanding, before swiftly returning her firearm to its holster. Pulling a blade out from her boot in a single slash she slices the bonds away from George’s body. With the timer counting down, #017 tied the bonds around George’s chest in a tourniquet of sorts. George lets out a grunt of pain at the tightness of the tourniquet and pressure created on his chest.

#017 carries George in arms and lays him onto the table next to the explosive device. George wearily smiles and huffs, “See ya around, Miss Starr.”

“As if,” #017 grumbled back as she reaches for the bomb wires.

George tries to giggle but an ugly cough escapes his throat. “Huh, who knew you were such a sweet talker, Miss Starr. Had I known, I would have cheated off of you during the exams,” George gurgles.

#017 doesn’t reply as she grabs a wire and pulls, simultaneously cutting another wire with the tip of her blade. The bomb hits 0:04 seconds and stops. #017 tears off a loose wire from the bomb and moves to stand over George. George's eyes widen as #017 holds a wire and knife posed over him. "Hold still," #017 sternly said and, before George can react, #017 forcefully ties him down to the table and removes another loose wire from the bomb.

George uneasily glances around as #017 re-taped George’s mouth with duck tape. “This is going to hurt,” #017 solemnly stated not giving George the time to prepare himself mentally. #017 digs her fingers into the wound and pulls out the bullet, before sewing the gaping chest wound shut with the bomb wire in a rudimentary surgical operation.

George had thankfully passed out during the surgery. Pale from blood-loss and limp, #017 grunts as she hefts the unconscious body of George over her shoulder only pausing to tie the explosive device to her chest like a messed up swaddled baby, before moving out into the hallway. #017 takes a deep breath and sprints down the hallway at full speed back to the ballroom. Suddenly from behind her, a shadow appears, #017 unable to slide to a stop reaches out and grabs onto the corner of the hallway and swings herself forward. Bullets pierce right behind her, tearing apart and blasting to bits the corner of the hallway wall.

#017 turns as fast as she can down another hallway as a rain of bullets pierce behind her at her previous location. #017 reaches up with one hand to touch her earbud piece and grumbles, “Now would be a great time, Wilkins!” #017 moves her head suddenly to the side as a bullet passes just over her ear leaving a burning like sensation behind from the near proximity.

A familiar voice unhappily complains, “Hey, my body was just destroyed, how would you like that?!”

“It was stuffing! Your nanobots and brain are intact! While I have an unconscious student on my shoulders and currently under fire from #32! Not to mention I have a bomb strapped to my chest!” #017 hissed.

“Fine, let me arrange urgent emergency transport for him. By the way, I left a gift for you in the hallway, turn right and reach down!” Mr. Wilkins instructed.

#017 wobbles as she skids around the corner on the slick floor, grasping the item with the tip of her fingers. Straighten herself up as best as she can, she continues to slide forward, barely managing to stay on her feet with the added weight on her shoulders as she struggles to regain her balance and shoves the item into her waistcoat pocket. But what made matters worse, #017 is suddenly forced to leap over corpses and spilled blood only to land on a slick floor causing her to lose her balance. Barely able to keep her balance as she leaps and bounds in an effort to stay upright, she hears a sharp command say, “Okay, hide him under the red robe freak I’ve arranged a special pick up for him!”

#017 doesn’t ask any questions in a sliding stop, that involves kicking over the corpse of the described red robed freak. Not even taking the time to gently lay, George on the ground, #017 carelessly drops him onto the floor with a loud painful thud and rolls the corpse over him with her boot. A wincing sound can be heard from her earpiece as Mr. Wilkins grumbles, “You could have been more gentle.”

#017 tumbles forward onto her arms and flips over a corpse and back onto her feet. Not taking the time to straighten hersel out, she leaps from corpse to corpse to keep from sliding on the blood-slicked floor. Loud footsteps can be heard as a figure slides into the hallway firing a barrage of bullets that destroy the corpses next to her. #017 doesn’t have to look back before darting around the corner and cursing at finding it filled with corpses. Not bothering to curse under her breath as that wasted both energy and precious air, #017 dives forward searching for exits and an escape route using the blueprints of the building from memory.

*

Coincidentally, at the same time, a message arrives in a certain dorm room. 56 glances at her watch that holds a recorded message. Cursing under her breath, 56 listens, “Urgent Pick-Up of Package. Delivery to be made under five minutes or else, you go boom! The GPS location has been sent to your VEX watch, go, go, GO!”

Without even glancing at the watch, 56 runs out of her dorm room and leaps into the already waiting open elevator. Tying her up in a ponytail with a scrunchie, 56 curses under breath and readies herself to sprint for her life as soon as the elevator doors open. Without wasting a moment, 56 bursts out into the lobby and sprints for the first-floor emergency garage.

Kicking down the door in a single kick, 56 borrows an emergency security motorbike that still has the keys in the engine and reeves up the engine. A loud start and puff later, 56 races out the automatic dorm room doors and out into the campus. Praying, 56 speeds across the desolate fields and aims for the ballroom, all the while hoping she would make it in time and live!