I can see some kind of battle going on. That's almost sure proof that Catastrophe is around. I try to make a wide circle around the eye of the battle, but am accosted by Mina.

"Ronan. Good to see you. Take this."

"What?"

"Catastrophe wants it-but this is a decoy-can you take it?"

"Well-"

"Just take the bloody thing already!"

"Well, then I can't take no for an answer, can I?"

"No."

"Okay, then. I'll take it."

"Just don't get into trouble."

"Honestly? The trouble, I often find, is that the trouble finds me."

Mina rolls her eyes and descends back into the fighting. I run toward the smoking building at top speed. Catastrophe is bound find me sooner or later. I'd rather it be the latter. 

Honestly, I'm waiting for other people to post so I can build up from there. 

Mina brought Sprocket to me in more of a damaged state than an octopod that once got in a mating fight during a nuclear war in the middle of the desert. 

A couple of my nurses ran over to her with me in the middle of all the chaos and prepared the white bed that had a few smears of bright red blood. 

All of these damaged faces. I've gotten used to it in my years being a doctor, and sometimes an army doctor at that, but when those damaged faces start to become your friends, it's a bit harder and you have to make every detail right. That's when some doctors become emotionally compromised. But I have to force myself to see them as just another patient so I don't stutter and mess things up.

"On my count," I huff out, sliding my hands under Sprocket while the other nurse does the same on the other side. "One, two...three!"

We quickly lift her onto the bed that is being stabalised by the other nurse, and adjust the oxygen mask onto her face. 

"Walden, stats," I hurriedly say, pushing the bed quickly to the medical tent.

One of the nurses brushes back a matted piece of hair from her face. We definitely look like we've been a war zone.

"Two broken ribs, a broken wrist, a broken-"

"Look, I don't care about the broken junk, I get that!" I snap with little patience. I hope that she'll forgive me later. The war is getting to everyone. "Is there anything that's messing up her inside insides?"

"Um...yes! Right here, the chart shows internal bleeding, a punctured lung, a piece of metal messing with a nerve in her leg, and...Quill. Look at the chart," she splutters the last part out with a frantic whisper as nervousness clouds her eyes. 

My own eyes widen at her expression. "What?"

She hands me the tablet and I look down. A piece of metal is lodged dangerously close to her heart. And the metal is slowly breaking off into tiny pieces.

We arrive at the tent, and Nurse Walden helps to tie back my gown and head cap while I put on my gloves. 

"Is she on full anesthetic?" I ask.  

"We're starting with five cc's."

"Good," I reply. "Let's begin."

~~~~

I slowly take each small piece of metal out that goes dangerously close to her arteries. When all four clinks on the metal plate are heard, I blink hardly and let out a quiet sigh of relief.

I slowly begin the process of patching her back up, and fourty-five sitches later, she has normal-ish vitals again.

I walk outside with compusture so the nurses that are cleaning up the tools don't notice anything out of the ordinary, once I have disposed of my mask and gloves.

But when I actually reach the outside of the operating room and into the waiting room, I find a blue chair and collapse into it, letting out a shaky breath. 

A few minutes later, I get up and walk to the restroom to wash my hands from the surgery. A huge mirror glares my reflection back at me as I take the cap off, along with the gown until I'm in my normal clothes again. I walk outside and grab my white doctor's coat from the coat rack and walk back into the patient room where Sprocket is now stirring.

I adjust her cc's of anaesthetic and once again check her vitals when I notice that she's crying. I don't blame her. She's been through a lot already.

I do my best for her not to notice that I notice, and the look on her face is one of gratitude that I smile at a little bit. I know how it feels to not want to show weakness. Even though Sprocket's strong, everyone hits that wall. Some walls have knives, others have lies, but when you hit it, you know.

I straighten and begin to leave when she grabs my hand. I see her wince so I get closer to her bed so she doesn't have to stretch as far. 

"Quill," she whispers hoarsely. "Thank you."

I smile, nodding. "Any time, Sprocket."

I move to leave again when she gently squeezes my hand.

"Tell Mina that if she needs it, there are seventy legions of automatons at Bleak Pleak."

She then lightly presses a whistle to my hand.

"This will call them."

My eyes widen a bit. I've never seen a legion of automatons before. Must be a light hobby of hers. "I will."

She smiles and lets go, also letting go a breath as she shifts and her head turns to the side. The anaesthetic is starting to kick back in.  

I quietly walk away from the room and head outside, where I quickly find Mina in her human figure.

"This," I say. "Sprocket gave it to me. It's for the automatons. Use it, and we might win this war."

Mina looks at it without a pause and then accepts it from me. With a deep breath and a slight shrug that reads What's the worst that could happen? she blows into the whistle. I don't hear anything, but her ears, even as a human, raise slightly.

Only a couple of minutes go by until I see a few lights in the sky.

"Here they come," I say with a smile.  

And here she was, halfway to the tent. 

I spot Anwen's figure collapsed halfway to the medical bay, and I run towards her along with another Resistance officer. I turn Anwen around and put my paw to her forehead. She's burning. I then inspect the arrow. Crowdome arrows with a poisoned tip. This won't be enough to kill her, because we're in time. I notice the girl she was helping beside her. After I pick her up and put her on both of my shoulders, the other officer speaks.

"This girl is more injured--what should we do? Should I carry her?"

I start walking towards the medical tent with Anwen, and without even turning, I reply, "Don't bother. She's dead."

Three poisoned arrows to the back. Good luck shaking that one off.

There's a silence behind me, but I don't have time to wait for the noise. I arrive at the medical tent, where Quill is.

"Here," sliding Anwen off my shoulders and onto the nearest medical bed. "Crowdome arrow to the thigh."

Quill nods with forced calmness and yells for a "Dove's Vaccine."

Without hesitation, her nurses bring it to her, and she automatically jams it into Anwen's thigh, her source of poison.

Anwen suddenly gasps and coughs, her eyes wide.

"What...happened?" she says weakly.

"Poisoned," I reply. "Stay here if you must. Sorry, but I can't."

I turn back around and start out. "We've got a lot more fighting to do."