Collection of Moments

Taking a deep breath, staring down at my arm and being fascinating with how the back of my hand was swelling. The color leeching from the skin to be taken over with hues of purple and black. 'It's broken...' I thought absently, watching it spread to my fingers and ringing assaulted my ears.

Gasping, a small broken moan left my lips and I finally grabbed my forearm. Shifting and rolling my arm back into its socket with a jerk, the ringing louder and tears misting over my eyes.

"aaargh!" Taking huge gulps of air, I looked back around and felt... nothing.

I was numb, not physically numb- my injuries showed that. For when I moved, pain traveled up my back and my legs locked up. My arm dangling uselessly and my side flaring up with charred flesh signaling that it's already began healing.

Around me, was the wreckage of my facility. Walls crumbled in and charred timbers still spewing ashes into the dark sky, screeching metal as the support beams collapsed rang out into the night.

Wincing and leaning back, I crawled back on my elbows, my legs dragging and leaving a bloody trail in front of me. Steel supports having impaled my ankle and thighs, dragging across the ground and the vibration caused my wound to flare. Blood seeping through the wound, gathering around the steel before falling to the ground, soon enough the trail turned black and bubbled.

"A few... more... feet." I gasped through each gulp of air, my lungs greedy for it. The air tinted with black smoke and ashes clogged my throat and filled my chest. 'No coughing...'

Making it to the armored vehicle, I leaned against a tire. Watching the facility burn, soon the ringing in my ears went away as the wounds began to heal more. Now, I was met with the roaring of a raging inferno and crackling of wood, metal starting to sizzle and bend under the heat.

"Bloody hell..." I whispered, closing my eyes and taking the steel supports, with immense relief I wrenched it out. A scream rendering throughout the roar of the inferno, white hot flashes dancing behind my closed lids.

Now leaning heavily against the tire, I writhed. Trying to distance myself as I felt heat upon my cheeks, still I can hear little whimpers and gasps and I knew they were coming from me.

Opening my eyes, vision hazy as I pulled myself up. My broken arm protesting and causing a moan to escape in a whoosh of air, turning around I opened the door and shook my head to clear it.

Stationing myself in the backseat, opening the compartment with one hand and the other activating the counsel to bring up the hologram. It was a couple moments before connection was established, during that time I injected myself with adrenalin and CPH4.

Putting my arm in a sling, my leg was up on the seat. My form hunched over with a needle "that's a sight." A grunt followed the words, my eyes flicking to the side to see concerned green eyes and an ever present scowl.

Answering the scowl with my own, I jabbed the needle into the tethered holes in my leg and hastily stitched the wound close. "Can you wait a moment, I want to take care of this so I don't have to wait too long for it to heal."

I was proud of how even my tone is, it wasn't breathy nor did it have a softer quality to it. What I wasn't proud of, was the scratchy quality to it, how hoarse it sounded and the way the words grated at my airways.

Placing the needle on the tray, I shifted to lift my remains of a shirt. Staring at my side, charred black with flecks of ashes and bubbling beneath the surface. There was a choking sound, it wasn't me. Looking at the hologram I raised an eyebrow and Jeremy was staring wide eyed at the exposed flesh.

Taking my arm out of the sling to take my shirt off, a scalpel in hand as I worked on cutting away the charred layer of flesh. "I did as you asked and went to facility 9A Exodus. Within the time frame I was given, I transported the contents to a new location and haven't had the time to locate the explosives, while searching I must have set off a sensor because it triggered an early start. Exodus is currently no more, nor have I really lost anything." I whispered, my tone breathy but since I spoke quietly. It most likely wasn't noticed, dropping the flakey flesh into a bag and injecting the area. Which was reduced to exposed muscles with CPH4, the purple substance seen beneath the tissue as it spread.

"Lyra, you should hav-" shaking my head I looked at Jeremy. "No. I'm fine, it's better me then the both of us." Leaning back against the seat, staring at the hologram as I started to drift off. "You have my location?" I whispered, meaning to speak in a louder tone "yes Lyra, I do. Stay where you are and try not to fall asleep on me."

My lips twitched and I shook my head "I'm sleeping. You have bout 6 hours until you get here." "Not unless I take the glider." He growled, thumping of footfalls can be heard because he most likely was rushing to the glider.

"So... I have 2 hours to sleep?" I asked with a small giggle, the laughter straining my side and making me choke back a pained moan. "Yes, 2 hours. After that, I expect you to stay awake while we ensure you didn't sustain further damages."

"Thank you..." the world went black, the pain and injuries painting the black canvas in wisps of purple, green and blue.