My chest felt hollow. Every breath was a conscious effort. I was breathing in air I didn’t deserve. She couldn’t be dead. It was my decision. I did this. It was my fault. I deserved it, not her.

“Please! Gem. Please don't leave me.” Cory begged.

A tear raced down my cheek but no more came. Irisians raced forwards to help carry Gem towards Cory but I was frozen as I watched them placed her on the sheet. Cas’s face was flushed with effort and shiny with tears as he stared down at Gem. Cory disengaged her helmet but she didn’t move. Her eyes were weakly shut, just a slither of white could be seen and her face was pale.

Cory grabbed the scissor, cutting the suit away from her, trying to see how badly injured she was.

The suit seemed to have protected her from most of the blast but that wasn’t the problem.

A jagged slash slit her stomach open, dark metal protruded from the wound. Her suit had resealed around the wound so we couldn’t see how bad it was when Cas first brought her in but now, I had to look away, lightheaded and dizzy with horror.

“Oh gods.” Peggy gasped.

“Cory, what do we do?” I asked.

He injected something into her arm.

“Just get us home.”

I swallowed down the hysteria that was rising in me and raced back to my seat, barely seeing the people I was pushing past.

Can we go through the gate?

Just go.

I hit the thrusters, speeding towards the gate. My hands shook as I clutched the controls and nausea still threatened to overwhelm me.

“Get ready!” I shouted, remembering at the last minute I hadn’t put my harness on either and, with one hand, pulled it into place.

The world went silent, even the sounded of Cory working on Gem behind us drifted away for a second before rushing back to me and we shot out the other side of the gate.

“Fuck.” Cory growled at the same time the Irisian doctor said something.

“Srish says her blood pressure and oxygen is dropping!” Peggy shouted.

A weird beeping I hadn’t heard before came from the console in front of me. My eyes sped across the monitors trying to work it out.

“Fuck! Cory, her heart isn't beating.” I screamed.

“No! No, no, no. Gem, please!” He panted loudly, starting chest compressions.

I couldn’t help it. My eyes flicked to the screen showing them. Gem looked tiny. Pale. Her face was covered with an oxygen mask, her suit was cut open and the wound still oozed blood lazily. Cory’s blood-stained hands were leaving marks as he compressed her chest desperately whilst Srish stuck the defib pads to her. She shouted something and Cory leant back, watching intently as Gem spasmed. His hands fluttered over her chest, waiting for a sign that she was alive before starting compressions again.

“Please Gem. Please don’t leave me.” He begged as he worked.

The beeping stopped and Cory sobbed with relief. Her heart was beating again. I tore my eyes away from the screen, squashing my panic and fear down as I forced Frida to fly even quicker. We needed to get home. Now.

We landed. Physically and emotionally exhausted, I slumped forwards over the controls, my eyes dry and grainy. Through the front window, I could see the med team I’d called for Gem upon reentry running towards the ship. I reached forwards with heavy arms and opened the doors for them. I wanted to stand and help them but I didn’t have the energy to stand.

A team of dark suited Guardians, their faces obscured by mirrored masks and marching in unison, followed the medics but I didn’t even care. The med team were here, that’s all that mattered. They could help Gem.

How do we play this, Peg? Cas asked, his stained hands leaving streaks of blood as he fiddled with his wrist monitor, watching the Guardians advance.

I don’t know. They didn’t listen to us. We told them and they didn’t listen. Even over thought, she sounded broken.

I wanted to go back and hug her or comfort her in some way but I couldn’t.

Do what they ask. It’s the best way to make sure we stay safe. Don’t give them another reason to hate us. I thought. The effort it took was immense.

I could hear Cory talking to the medical team, discussing Gem, explaining her injuries but I couldn’t bring myself to turn and look at them. Instead, I watched through the window with growing fear as the Guardians neared the ship.

They’re boarding. I warned.

“Hands on your head, no sudden movement.” One of them bellowed, it was impossible to tell which one because of their masks.

I stood wearily, drained after flying for so long and worrying about Gem so much. Cas caught my arm as I stumbled, even though he looked as exhausted as I felt. My eyes immediately focused on Gem who was being lifted onto a stretcher, her suit cut open and blood-soaked bandages hiding the ragged cut on her stomach. Her skin looked abnormally pale behind the oxygen mask they’d put on her but the quiet beeping of her heart monitor gave me some hope. Most of the Guardians stood in the door, preventing us from leaving but one strode slowly around the ship, their emotionless mask giving nothing away. They stepped aside briefly as the medic team rushed Gem from the ship but were too quick for Cory in his current state, forming a wall again to stop him from leaving with Gem.

“No, please. I need to go with her. Please!” Cory was sobbing again and trying to follow the medical team, his hands bloody and his uniform streaked, but the Guardians were blocking his way.

“Hands on your head.” One of them barked at him.

“Please. I need to.” He begged, grabbing their uniform in desperation.

The Guardian in front of him moved too quickly for us in our current state to do anything and struck him on the side of the head with their baton. Cory crumpled to the ground, lying motionless.

“How dare you?” Peggy yelled, her face determined and I felt myself step forwards with her. “He did nothing wrong, he wasn’t posing a threat. How dare you use force against him?”

The Guardian stood still and unflinching, their face hidden behind their helmet but still barring the exit. Another one finished surveying the ship, nodding to the other five Guardians crammed into our ship and turned to face us.

“You have been accused of trafficking, terrorism and treason. We have been ordered to escort you to a Council jail. Your every word is recorded and may be used against you in the upcoming trial. If you struggle or attempt to assault a Guardian, we have been authorised to use force.”

The rest of the Guardians started to put handcuffs on us whilst the other one continued staring down at us.

Why are they cuffing the Irisians? They haven’t done anything. Peggy thought miserable.

Because they didn’t want them here. Cas replied.

I held my hands out silently for the Guardian who snapped the cuffs on, much more tightly than necessary, and watched sadly as they did the same to the rest of my crew including Cory who was still lying motionless on the blood-encrusted sheet.

They lifted him roughly, his arms dangling and carried him out of the ship.

“Follow closely.” One of the Guardians ordered, their hand straying to their baton threateningly.

“Crew members in this vehicle, others in that one.” A Guardian commanded, pointing at one of the other vans circling our ship.

Cas, Peggy and I walked fast to get closer to Cory who the Guardian had dumped unceremoniously into the back of a van and climbed in beside him. There were no seats or anything to hold onto so we just dropped awkwardly onto the floor next to him.

We stared out of the window at the Irisians, unable to do anything more as the Guardian slammed the door shut behind us and we stumbled awkwardly as they began to accelerate away.

“Why aren’t we going in the same direction as the others?” Cas asked the Guardian in the front seat through the bars separating us.

I struggled up to look out of the back window at the other van, crammed with bodies. A crowd was working its way towards our base but we sped through too quickly to hear what they were saying or work out why.

“They are going to a different facility.” The feminine voice replied.

“I thought we were all going to the Council jail,” Peg said flatly.

“They are.”

“Where are we going?” Unease filled me as I wait for the reply.

“A Council site.” The Guardian sitting in the passenger seat answered, a smirk evident in their voice.

“What kind of Council site?” Cas asked with apprehension.

The male sounding Guardian snickered but refused to answer Cas’ question.

“Sit down and shut up. This journey will drag if you keep asking such dumb questions the entire time.”

“Don’t forget we have been authorised to use force if needed.” The driver laughed sounding like they wanted to.

We fell back from the bars and collapsed on the floor, leaning against the doors and staring blankly at Cory.

He’s okay, I checked his pulse when we got in. Peggy thought to us.

Did either of you see what they did with Gem? I asked.

They took her into the base. I heard one of them say they’d operate on her there and then transfer her somewhere else if... if she survives. Cas swallowed loudly.

She will though. Right? Peg didn’t really want an answer to that question, she wanted hope which I couldn't offer.

It looked bad. It looked really bad. The shrapnel had torn deep into her stomach, Cory said it had done a lot of internal damage and that although her suit resealed around the wound she’d already lost a lot of blood before Cas brought her back into the ship. Then she lost even more when he was working on her. There was only so much he could do.

Cas’ head slumped against me as he finally fell asleep, his fists clenched and his brow furrowed.

You should try and sleep too. Peg told me softly.

How can I? I replied hollowly.

You’ve been awake for over 24 hours, you need sleep. She checked Cory’s pulse again. I’ll stay awake and keep an eye on him.

You need sleep too. I was fighting against it but my eyes felt heavy and sticky.

I can’t. Peg gently rolled Cory into a more comfortable looking position.

My head lolled back and I felt sleep start to take me.

This was all my fault. That thought could have come from any one of us but there was only one person who deserved it.

Me.

I failed my crew.