Quoted By:
It’s not enough. A cluster of sparks shoots from the card reader before the entire airlock drops like a guillotine!
<span class="mu-s">NO!</span>
You catch it. You have no idea how, but you <span class="mu-i">catch</span> it! Legs spread as wide as your track pants allow, you immediately feel a tearing sensation wash over your back muscles as you feel the solid metal dig into your palms!
That’s when you realize Raj is at your side holding it up with you.
PEP, you laugh, you <span class="mu-i">CAUGHT</span> it! Hurry up!
Pepper doesn’t respond.
Hey, you groan, trying and failing to hide the growing pain in your voice, you could totally hold this up all day, but-
“You came all the way down here… just for me…”
The timbre in the girl’s voice forms a small knot in your chest. Well… <span class="mu-i">yea</span>, you grunt, you were worried–we all were!
That earns a quiet laugh from her. “... god, what a klutz <span class="mu-i">I</span> turned out to be, huh?”
You can… you can joke about it later, you grunt as your fingers start to grow numb from lack of circulation, now come <span class="mu-i">ON</span> or I’ll drag you through myse-
Her answer comes in the form of three items being stuffed through the crack between the floor and the door: a <span class="mu-s">PHONE,</span> a <span class="mu-s">HARD DRIVE,</span> and a <span class="mu-s">DIGITAL CAMERA.</span>
The knot triples in size.
“Do me a favor, sandcrab.” She commands in a solemn tone.
<span class="mu-i">No</span>...
“Don’t… don’t let these go to waste, okay?” Pepper adds, her voice trembling as it struggles to stay calm, “I need you to-”
<span class="mu-s">NO!</span>
A burst of strength courses through your arms as you feel anger well up inside you–you can <span class="mu-i">DO</span> this! <span class="mu-s">RODNEY,</span>, you snarl, <span class="mu-s">GET THE FUCK OVER HERE NOW!</span>
The feeling only lasts as long as it takes Rodney to join you, and even with your combined might the crack is barely wide enough to fit a hard drive through…
But what kills your anger is when you feel a small, soft hand clasp yours.
“Promise me, Diesel.” She repeats in a calmer tone, “I need you to do this for me, okay?”
She can do it <span class="mu-i">herse-</span>
“Rodney, Raj,” The girl continues in that forced-calm voice, “Take care of Diesel for me.”
“Yea…” Stammers Raj as his arms start to waver. Rodney just stays silent.
“And Diesel?”
This is <span class="mu-i">stupid</span>, you hiss, no longer feeling the pain, this is fucking <span class="mu-i">STUPID</span>. She just needs to… to try an-
“It’s okay…” She interrupts with a hint of hope in her voice, “I’ve… I’ve got another way out over here…”
A lone tear wells up in your eye. <span class="mu-s">BULLSHIT!</span>
“Tell Jake I’m sorry, okay?” She continues as the distant screeches grow closer, “For everything.”
Tell… you stammer as you let the tears run down your sweaty face, tell him your<span class="mu-i">SE-</span>
“And thanks, sandcrab…” Pepper sniffs as you hear a smile in her voice, “You’re… you’re my first best friend…”
You can’t hold on any longer… but you’ve got time to say one more thing:
>CONTD.
