“Relax your arm Ripley,” he said guiding their arm back to a safe position by their side with careful force.

“You got worked over in the corridor. We’re back on the Dauntless now.” The staff had told him that this would be a shock when they woke up.

He watched them attempt to move their arm until realizing they were trying to get the cast off.

“Hey,” the man said reaching out his left hand to take their wrist.

“Wait Ripley. You’re in a cast.”

When Ripley began to stir he didn’t react because he thought it was just another unconscious movement. Though when they slowly opened their struggling eyes his widened. Relief and frustration washed over him. He was glad to see them awoken, yet frustrated that he doubted they would on some level.
-

In his sweatshirt covering his bandages.

Like a watchful hawk he stayed there. Waiting for them to wake up. So he could be sure.

going to make things worse.”

His body was starting to overpower his stubbornness. Though he gave no reply he turned and followed her off for treatment.

It would be some 10 hours before he returned. Most of the surgery was finished enough that visitors were allowed. Reigh sat himself by their bed-

look their way.

“Yes?”

“It’s been two hours sir. We need to give you a full once over. Please.”

The feeling of pain still covered half his body. He wore only his tech suit after the armor was removed hastily for emergency care.

“How long,” he asked.

“I don’t know sir. But staying here is only-

He had said it enough times to re-convince himself of it ten times over. Reigh didn’t know why he kept repeating it. Since they both got back he hadn’t left them. Even his wounds only received minor treatment.

“Commander?”

The voice came from a medical officer from his left. He made no effort to-

knelt by their side holding them steady as the pelican entered the atmosphere. His body still burning under scorched armor, alive. Homeward bound by Ripley’s side.

𝘩𝘦𝘭𝘱. 𝘛𝘩𝘦𝘴𝘦 𝘢𝘥𝘶𝘭𝘵𝘴 𝘬𝘯𝘦𝘸.. 𝘓𝘪𝘬𝘦 𝘩𝘪𝘴 𝘱𝘢𝘳𝘦𝘯𝘵𝘴..

𝘈𝘭𝘭 𝘩𝘪𝘴 𝘵𝘦𝘢𝘳𝘴 𝘸𝘦𝘳𝘦 𝘨𝘰𝘯𝘦 𝘯𝘰𝘸..

𝘖𝘶𝘵 𝘵𝘩𝘦 𝘰𝘱𝘦𝘯 𝘣𝘢𝘤𝘬 𝘰𝘧 𝘵𝘩𝘦 𝘤𝘳𝘢𝘧𝘵 𝘱𝘢𝘴𝘵 𝘵𝘩𝘦 𝘰𝘵𝘩𝘦𝘳 𝘴𝘰𝘭𝘥𝘪𝘦𝘳𝘴, 𝘸𝘢𝘴 𝘵𝘩𝘦 𝘣𝘶𝘳𝘯𝘪𝘯𝘨 𝘤𝘪𝘵𝘺. 𝘏𝘪𝘴 𝘩𝘰𝘮𝘦, 𝘣𝘶𝘳𝘯𝘪𝘯𝘨.. 𝘉𝘶𝘵 𝘢𝘵 𝘭𝘦𝘢𝘴𝘵.. 𝘛𝘩𝘦𝘺 𝘮𝘢𝘥𝘦 𝘪𝘵..

….

The medic linked their tacpad to Ripley’s sensors. “Stabilizing in progress.”

Reigh was-

down onto the field landing gear out.

“Ripley..” he said pulling them into his arms. “We made it..”

𝘌𝘷𝘦𝘳𝘺𝘵𝘩𝘪𝘯𝘨 𝘪𝘯 𝘩𝘪𝘴 𝘣𝘰𝘥𝘺 𝘧𝘦𝘭𝘵 𝘭𝘪𝘬𝘦 𝘪𝘵 𝘤𝘰𝘶𝘭𝘥 𝘨𝘪𝘷𝘦 𝘰𝘶𝘵 𝘧𝘪𝘯𝘢𝘭𝘭𝘺. 𝘏𝘦 𝘸𝘢𝘴 𝘴𝘢𝘵 𝘪𝘯 𝘢 𝘴𝘦𝘢𝘵 𝘵𝘸𝘪𝘤𝘦 𝘩𝘪𝘴 𝘴𝘪𝘻𝘦 𝘣𝘶𝘤𝘬𝘭𝘦𝘥 𝘪𝘯 𝘣𝘺 𝘴𝘵𝘳𝘢𝘱𝘴. 𝘕𝘪𝘫𝘢 𝘸𝘢𝘴 𝘴𝘭𝘦𝘦𝘱𝘪𝘯𝘨 𝘪𝘯 𝘢 𝘣𝘰𝘹 𝘰𝘧 𝘴𝘰𝘮𝘦 𝘬𝘪𝘯𝘥.

𝘛𝘩𝘦 𝘥𝘰𝘤𝘵𝘰𝘳 𝘴𝘰𝘭𝘥𝘪𝘦𝘳 𝘴𝘢𝘪𝘥 𝘪𝘵 𝘸𝘰𝘶𝘭𝘥-

𝘥𝘰 𝘸𝘢𝘴 𝘤𝘳𝘺..

He came to hearing the warning beeps from his Mjolnir. His visor was cracked down the middle and his body felt like it was on fire.

“𝘚𝘪𝘦𝘳𝘳𝘢. 𝘊𝘩𝘦𝘴𝘵𝘦𝘳. 𝘞𝘦 𝘩𝘢𝘷𝘦 𝘺𝘰𝘶 𝘰𝘯 𝘷𝘪𝘴𝘶𝘢𝘭. 𝘋𝘰 𝘺𝘰𝘶 𝘤𝘰𝘱𝘺?”

Reigh forced himself into a kneel. Ripley was at his side… still alive.. the pelican roared-

𝘚𝘰𝘮𝘦𝘰𝘯𝘦 𝘴𝘩𝘰𝘶𝘵𝘦𝘥 𝘰𝘶𝘵 𝘵𝘰 𝘩𝘪𝘮. 𝘐𝘯 𝘌𝘯𝘨𝘭𝘪𝘴𝘩! 𝘐𝘵 𝘸𝘢𝘴 𝘢 𝘱𝘦𝘳𝘴𝘰𝘯.

𝘈 𝘴𝘰𝘭𝘥𝘪𝘦𝘳 𝘳𝘢𝘯 𝘶𝘱 𝘵𝘰 𝘩𝘪𝘮 𝘢𝘯𝘥 𝘩𝘢𝘶𝘭𝘦𝘥 𝘩𝘪𝘮 𝘵𝘰 𝘩𝘪𝘴 𝘧𝘦𝘦𝘵. 𝘕𝘪𝘫𝘢 𝘸𝘢𝘴 𝘤𝘳𝘺𝘪𝘯𝘨 𝘴𝘵𝘪𝘭𝘭 𝘣𝘶𝘵 𝘶𝘯𝘩𝘢𝘳𝘮𝘦𝘥. 𝘔𝘰𝘳𝘦 𝘴𝘰𝘭𝘥𝘪𝘦𝘳𝘴 𝘳𝘢𝘯 𝘶𝘱 𝘵𝘩𝘦𝘺 𝘭𝘰𝘰𝘬 𝘢𝘳𝘰𝘶𝘯𝘥.

"𝘊𝘭𝘦𝘢𝘳."

"𝘈𝘤𝘵𝘶𝘢𝘭. 𝘞𝘦'𝘷𝘦 𝘨𝘰𝘵 𝘵𝘸𝘰 𝘴𝘶𝘷𝘪𝘷𝘰𝘳𝘴."

"𝘊𝘰𝘱𝘺. 𝘚𝘰𝘯. 𝘞𝘩𝘦𝘳𝘦 𝘢𝘳𝘦 𝘺𝘰𝘶𝘳 𝘱𝘢𝘳𝘦𝘯𝘵𝘴?"

𝘏𝘪𝘴 𝘱𝘢𝘳𝘦𝘯𝘵𝘴...

𝘈𝘭𝘭 𝘩𝘦 𝘤𝘰𝘶𝘭𝘥-

came the Hunter’s roar, then cannon fire. The world around him turned bright green. Then the rockets hit.

𝘏𝘦 𝘵𝘢𝘴𝘵𝘦𝘥 𝘵𝘩𝘦 𝘥𝘪𝘳𝘵 𝘢𝘧𝘵𝘦𝘳 𝘧𝘢𝘭𝘭𝘪𝘯𝘨 𝘵𝘰 𝘵𝘩𝘦 𝘨𝘳𝘰𝘶𝘯𝘥. 𝘕𝘪𝘫𝘢 𝘸𝘢𝘴 𝘤𝘳𝘺𝘪𝘯𝘨 𝘴𝘵𝘪𝘭𝘭.. 𝘉𝘶𝘵 𝘢𝘭𝘪𝘷𝘦.. 𝘛𝘩𝘦 𝘮𝘰𝘯𝘴𝘵𝘦𝘳!

𝘓𝘰𝘰𝘬𝘪𝘯𝘨 𝘣𝘢𝘤𝘬 𝘩𝘦 𝘴𝘢𝘸 𝘪𝘵 𝘴𝘭𝘶𝘮𝘱𝘦𝘥 𝘰𝘯 𝘵𝘩𝘦 𝘨𝘳𝘰𝘶𝘯𝘥. 𝘉𝘭𝘶𝘦 𝘭𝘪𝘲𝘶𝘪𝘥 𝘴𝘱𝘪𝘭𝘭𝘪𝘯𝘨 𝘰𝘶𝘵 𝘪𝘵'𝘴 𝘩𝘦𝘢𝘥.

𝘋𝘦𝘢𝘥..

-

“𝘈𝘤𝘬𝘯𝘰𝘸𝘭𝘦𝘥𝘨𝘦𝘥 𝘚𝘪𝘦𝘳𝘳𝘢. 𝘋𝘢𝘯𝘨𝘦𝘳 𝘤𝘭𝘰𝘴𝘦. 𝘚𝘵𝘢𝘯𝘥 𝘣𝘺 𝘧𝘰𝘳 𝘳𝘰𝘤𝘬𝘦𝘵-𝘰𝘶𝘵."

Reigh grabbed Ripley and hauled them back onto his shoulders. “One last run Ripley..”

The Hunter stiffened up and looked skyward. Screaming overhead came two AGM rockets. Reigh sprinted away at full speed carrying Ripley. From behind-