down on my back. I hang on until the world stills.
The silence is just as loud with a ringing in my ears. I sit up. Emergency lights turn on. The room is a mess. But then the significance of the emergency lights hits me. I jump off the bed, search for my boots, cutting my feet in the process. Don’t care. I find them under a fallen curtain. Jamming my bleeding feet into them, I sprint for the door.
“Mouse?”
Skidding to a stop, I whip around. Did I really hear that? It was muffled and faint. Niall’s eyes are open and he’s staring at me! He looks confused. That would make two of us. I hurry back.
“You’re…bleeding. What’s…going on?” he asks.
Joy floods through me. Yes! “I’ll explain later. I love you, Toad!” I kiss him and dash out.
“Mouse!”
The nurses are brushing dust and glass off their uniforms.
“He’s awake!” I shout. “Go check on him, please.” Then I race through the hallways, my boots pounding over glass and debris.
When I arrive at the stairwell to the archeology lab, Zaim and Bendix are both shaken, but the floodlights are intact.
“Did the floodlights go out?” I ask Bendix.
“I don’t think so, but I’m not sure. The whole place shook and the lights in the hallway cut out for a minute.” He’s holding the emitter even though he really can’t use it effectively.
I take the weapon from him and search the halls and nearby labs for any shadow-blobs that might have escaped. None. I sag against the wall in relief.
“What the hell was that?” Bendix asks when I return.
“Missile, compliments of Jarren.”
He curses.
“We should all be dead,” Zaim says.
I agree. So why weren’t we? I remember Radcliff said, I’ve got this. “It must have detonated before it hit us.”
Even though I want nothing more than to race back to Niall, the emergency lights are still on. They’re much dimmer and I need to remain here just in case the shadow-blobs try to bypass the floodlights.
As I wait, the adrenaline wears off. The burning starts in my feet and climbs up my legs. I glance down. Pieces of glass have pierced my skin. Blood stains my pajama pants. Soon my arms, ribs, and the sides of my face throb. I try to ignore the pain. Except the harder I try, the more it hurts.
“Nice P-jays,” Zaim teases me.
“I’d let you borrow them, Zee, but they’re not your size.”
Bendix snorts at Zaim’s expression.
Radcliff arrives about five minutes later. “HoLFs?”
“None escaped,” I say.
“Good.”
“What happened?” Bendix asks.
“You’ll be briefed in the morning. The base’s lights should be on soon.” Then Radcliff peers closer at me. “You’re bleeding. What—”
“Niall,” I blurt out. I can’t believe I waited this long. “He’s awake!”
His entire demeanor changes. Transforming into Niall’s dad, his elation and relief flare in his eyes. We beam at each other. Then he resumes being Officer Radcliff. He tugs a piece of glass from my arm. “The windows?”
“Yes.”
“Is Niall—”
“He’s fine.”
When the regular lights turn on, Radcliff and I head back to the infirmary. I’m limping by the time we reach Niall’s room. The nurses descend on us, talking excitedly.
“…called the doctor…”
“His memory is…”
Except I’m not listening. All my attention is focused on Niall. He’s sitting up and, while he’s still pale, it’s a vast improvement. The broken glass has been swept into a pile and someone fetched him a bowl of soup. The spoon clatters onto the tray when he spots us. We hurry to his bedside and he gives us a wan smile.
“How are you feeling?” Radcliff asks.
“Weak. Why are you bleeding? What’s going on? The nurses won’t tell—”
“Dr. Edwards is on the way,” a nurse says. She gives Radcliff a stern don’t-upset-my-patient glare.
I hide a smile as her significant look bounces right off his broad chest. Giving up, she focuses on me. Oh no.
“My stars, child, you’re a mess. Let’s get you cleaned up.” She reaches for my arm.
“But—”
“Go with the nurse,” Radcliff orders.
“But Niall—”
“Go, Mouse. We can talk later.”
Later never sounded so good. A promise that he’ll still be here, awake and able to communicate. I allow the nurse to tow me to an exam room. And do you want to know the sad part? The fact that I know the routine. This is my fourth time being covered with cuts. I carefully strip off my clothing. My pajamas are ruined. And the bottom of my feet are scored with deep gashes. I lie on the table. The nurse plucks shards from my skin with tweezers, cleans