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"Is he alive?"
(is he? he does not know. he does not believe that there is anything after death, not for the likes of him, but. . . he can't feel life thrumming through his veins. he can't feel the beat of his own heart. he can't, he can't
let himself scream. won't scream, won't whimper. remembers that he grunted with pain, once, and his unit suffered his disgrace. remembers his unit. his family. *max!*
he makes a noise. isn't strong enough to swallow back max's name. silence, suddenly, all around him. tactical error. he has made a tactical error, and he can't *remember* why fear is choking him, why his eyes are burning with something that might be tears.)
He opens his eyes.
Renfro smiles down at him. "Welcome back, X5-599."