Chapter Text
Darkness envelops the office, lit at its edges by the spikes of orange and the snatches of neon lights on buildings that dare to defy. The glare of the terminal’s monitor show reports and data pouring in from all deployed K-Sec squads across the city. He's watched the destruction continue by proxy. Flickers of fire dotted through the city, their echoes reflected between buildings. Decision made to protect the MidCaste and LoCaste areas with slightly more presence than is arguably necessary, he knows the optics.
Even through the numbness that’s running through him, all that could be taken care of has been. It would not be said that K-Sec did not do their duty, the building is almost empty but he is rooted to his office.
Everything I’ve worked for, everything we worked for and your future. Gone. All Gone.
A dampness spreading against his fingers causes him to look down, a hand full of blood and glass. The pain doesn’t touch him, it’s as if he’s finally become detached from himself in all senses as he pushes the intercom button on his desk.
“Serena, I could use some help.”
“One moment Director.”
“Might want to bring a med-kit,” he forces calm into his words, “nothing serious.”
The line is already dead but he could sense the exasperated sigh that was coming from Serena in his bones, even through the walls of his office.
“Never a dull day with you Gabriel,” the lilt of Serena’s voice punctuates the silence of the room, trying to keep humour going although they both know it's fruitless. As she rounds his desk to see exactly what he’s done, the intake of breath through her teeth tells him that it’s a lot worse than he thought.
“I’ll clean it, but it probably needs someone from the medical department to look at it.”
“Mm hmm.”
Serena braces herself against the desk and places the med-kit down with a thud. Searching through it, she pulls out gauze and a pair of tweezers.
“Hand.”
Gabriel draws his hand up, there is a resistance there that he’s not sure if it’s the air becoming syrup or that he’s no longer in full control of his extremities. Serena takes his hand into hers resting it atop her thigh as she starts to examine his hand. Fingers are still curled tightly around the shattered remnants, fractured edges glint in the light nastily.
“This needs medical Gabe, I can’t remove this you could have cut deep and I can’t,” Serena’s voice is low and concern is in every word.
“I’ll live.”
The statement is a punch in the gut, but betrays exactly what Serena feared. She hits the call button before he can stop her. Not that he tries.
“Medical department,” the voice that answers is no nonsense and Serena could use that. It’s normally her job to be the port in a storm but to see the man who is like a second son to her in such a state was heartbreaking; although she’d never say it to his face.
“Could you send someone to Director Kruger’s office, there’s been an accident with some broken glass.”
“Of course, I’ll send someone up now. They’ll be with you in five Madam Galibier.”
“Thank you.”
Taking the gauze pads, she places them underneath and around his hand as best she can to stem the flow of blood. It’s a trickle now and beginning to clot, but she worries if he flexes his fingers he’ll do more damage. Larger slivers of glass are lifted so long as there is no resistance and placed with care on the desk top.
“I can’t remember the last time I called you Ms. or Madam Galibier,” Gabriel muses after a time.
“You never really did past my first month, said it didn’t sit right although I think the other directors think you a bit strange for it.”
The warmth of her hands cradling his is welcome, a gentleness that causes his heart to clench as his thoughts drift. In an effort to ward off the sudden billowing of rage in his stomach, he asks the first thing he thinks of.
“What was OmniStat like?”
The tension in the room increases a notch, but Gabriel receives an answer for the first time since he started asking the question following Serena’s appointment as his secretary seven years ago. He and his sister were small at the time of Cascadia’s founding and the horrors of OmniStat were always phrased as if there was nothing worse, but no one ever spoke of their experiences and you didn’t ask.
“Depends on your perspective, for some it was wonderful but for others it was disastrous. I mostly remember believing that my thoughts weren’t my own, to not have the sanctity of your own mind is a terrifying thing. With your mind, if you have that you can survive no matter what is thrown at you,” she pauses, mulling her next words, “To destroy someone’s mind is a far greater cruelty than to destroy the body.”
They settle in silence, neither needing to fill it with pointless chatter. The knock of the medic echoes, pulling them both back.
“Director Kruger, Madam Galibier,” the medic’s face is solemn as they enter, “how may I assist?”
“The director has cut his hand picking up a broken glass. It looks deep and I didn’t want to make it worse,” Serena replies, proffering the extremity in question to them.
It’s in this movement that Gabriel sees her dress is stained, an uneven crimson blot against the pale material. Its presence a reproach that he should be taking better care of himself but also his carelessness.
“Understood.”
The astonished gaze of the medic disappears in a flash as they get to work, uncurling his fingers one by one with tiny movements to gauge how deep the glass is and cleaning the congealing blood with a delicateness that was unexpected.
Time has no meaning in this place, the riots are a background that has halted the concept and the darkening of the sky outside is the marker that shows any movement of the earth at all.
“Do you have anyone out there?” Gabriel asks.
The medic hesitates in a way suggesting that this is the first time they’ve actually thought about it, “My sister, Sentinels 3rd division.”
Gabriel’s brain throws up the information immediately. Stationed downtown, the most obvious place for them to be.
“She must be something to be hand picked for the 3rd.”
“She is, it was all she wanted,” they smile, not meeting Gabriel’s eyes.
The medic falls into focus again, pulling shards of glass from under sliced skin. The larger ones had been easily removed and they remarked to Gabriel that he was lucky to not have cut through anything that may have needed surgery. Throughout the entire process Gabriel didn’t make a sound.
“All done director.”
Gabriel lifts his hand up, it’s mummified from the sheer amount of bandages that have been carefully wrapped around it. No sign of blood, yet.
“You’ll need to get someone to look at tomorrow to be absolutely sure all the glass is out and clean it, these bandages are going to staunch the blood flow but fresh ones will be needed to avoid infection,” the substantial med-kit snaps closed. “It’s pretty bad, but you’ve avoided cutting yourself a new one at least.”
“Thank you-”
“Arnborg, Henrik Arnborg sir.”
“Thank you Henrik.”
“Sir.”
Henrik stands, he bows his head in lieu of a salute and makes his way to the door. The unspoken agreement that what has happened in this office will never leave this office imprinted on all of them. The only weakness ever shown by Gabriel Kruger to anyone outside of his immediate circle, which was no longer in existence.
Serena’s next words are the only ones he really remembers from that night in particular.
“We’ve had word from the hospital, the girl has woken up.”
Everything is white.
Pristine. Clean. Stark.
It takes a while for eyes to open and adjust, the dim glow of the surrounding equipment providing the only light. Her attempt to focus broken by a searing pain pushing through her chest and up into her throat, turning into a hacking cough, burning with each gasp for air.
Suddenly two figures are in the room and through blurred vision, she can see the Elysium insignia on their chests as her coughing begins to subside for the moment.
“Hey, hey it’s going to be ok, just take this for us it should help,” one of them says soothingly, hand on her back making small circles as they proffer an inhaler, “do you want us to help you take it the first time?”
She nods, the thought of speech and coughing again making her fearful.
“Alright, exhale before we pop this in your mouth and when you hear the puff breathe in as quickly and as deeply as you can, ok? Tap on my hand or hers when you want to give it a try,” the nurse nods towards the other who’s close by, keeping a watchful eye on the monitors.
A few moments pass before the gentlest of taps is given, a glance is exchanged and the inhaler is brought to her lips whilst she exhales, there is a sudden noise and she breathes in as best she can, half expecting the burning sensation to return like a wave but as it builds it dies away although .
“There we go, how does it feel now?”
“Better,” she croaks, but it doesn’t sound like her voice at all.
“We’ll leave the inhaler with you, if you need it take it and don’t hesitate otherwise it’ll be worse ok?” the nurse reiterates, voice firm.
She nods, taking the inhaler from the proffered hand and her stomach rumbles causing a laugh from the other nurse.
“Guess we’d better get you something to eat, are you up to that?”
“Please,” the tiny voice, straining to be polite causes them both to soften. She’s so young and so small against the stark sheets of the bed, they've heard the rumours of her arrival. Carried by enforcers at the orders of the CEO of K-Sec himself.
“Alright, I’ll be back in a bit and my colleague here will run a few tests if that’s fine by you?”
Again the tiniest of nods as they leave and the other nurse begins to adjust the multitude of pads stuck to her and checks the readings. She can’t understand them, but they all seem to be green so that’s good as the nurse checks in with her again.
“Right, let’s get started. Take a deep breath for me in three, two, one and breathe in.”