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“Wrecker!”
Wrecker barely had time to put down the crate of fishing supplies he was holding before Omega launched herself at him. He caught her and spun her around, spotting Crosshair walking up behind her.
“What are you two getting up to?”
“I’m showing Crosshair the cool caves down near the beach! The ones with the little tidepools.”
Omega giggled as Wrecker ruffled her hair. “How’d you get dragged into that?”
Crosshair rolled his eyes with a small smile, ignoring Omega’s “Hey!” “She’s persistent, and I had nothing better to do.”
Wrecker picked up the crate again. “Enjoy that then. And be careful, Shep said it’s meant to rain soon.”
Omega glanced up at the few clouds in the sky and Crosshair waved him off. “We’ll be fine.”
Wrecker waved goodbye and began making his way to the upper levels of Pabu.
Crosshair listened to the beginnings of a light rain echoing into the cave as he watched Omega crouch by a tidepool and point out different creatures to him. His heart ached a little at how much she reminded him of Tech, rattling off as much as she knew about a creature before moving on to another, or picking one up to show him.
The cave really was beautiful. Some of the creatures in the tidepools were bioluminescent, lighting the cave with a pleasant blue and green glow. He let Omega take the lead, dragging him from one pool to another. The kid really looked in her element. Not a soldier, just a kid showing off some cool things she found.
He let her drag him to another pool. She was showing him how the small crabs there burrowed into the sand when he frowned and watched the water. She trailed off when she noticed.
“What’s wrong?”
Crosshair watched the tidepools, noticing how the water seemed higher and more active than when they first entered. It must have been raining harder and longer than he thought. “We should go before the rain gets too bad. The water’s already rising.”
Omega frowned and looked back at the tidepools before rising with a start and nodding, beginning to head towards the cave entrance. “Yeah, we should go.”
Crosshair let her lead the way out, both of them being extra careful as many of their previous stepping stones were now wet and slippery, or completely submerged. He caught her when she slipped, helping her regain her balance before moving again.
He swore when they reached the cave entrance. Rain was falling steadily, the sky dark with heavy clouds. The beach in front of them was still walkable, but the sand was quickly becoming sludgy, and the water was steadily rising. Angry waves battered violently at the shore.
Omega guided them along the back of the beach, staying close to the cliff face as they booked it for the steps into Lower Pabu. Thunder rumbled above them as they moved.
It couldn’t have taken them long to get to the very empty Lower Pabu, but the water was keeping up with them. They had to wade through shallow water just before the stairs, Crosshair helping Omega stay steady as the water reached her knees and the tide tugged at her. Lower Pabu must have been evacuated already, the streets were empty and the houses were dark.
Omega continued to lead the way, knowing the most direct route to Upper Pabu. They ducked and weaved between homes, moving much slower than either would like to avoid slipping on the dangerously slick paths. Crosshair heard Omega swear as she skidded to a stop, taking a sharp turn into an alley. As he followed, he saw the street ahead of them had already flooded, water sweeping through, taking everything it could with it.
Where the kriff were Hunter and Wrecker? He hated that he and Omega had foregone bringing comms with them, but they lived on a small island now, they rarely needed them. At least Wrecker knew where they were.
He swore when Omega slid to another halt, this time splashing into the crashing water before she could stop. Crosshair lunged forward and caught her before she could get swept off her feet, swearing as he was almost knocked off balance behind her, unable to grab anything to anchor them without a second hand. He pulled her back to him and held her close as they looked around for another route.
A large rumbling crash met his ears, and he pulled both of them back towards the alley. He wasn’t fast enough as a large wave crashed down the street. Omega cried out as it swept them both up, dragging her violently from his grasp.
Crosshair tumbled uncontrollably under the water, the wave carrying him where it wanted. He was focused on finding the surface when he slammed into something solid, knocking the air from his lungs. He fought hard against the instinctual inhale, his lungs screaming for the stolen air.
He searched desperately now for the surface, or any sign of Omega. His lungs were burning as he tried his best to swim against a tide that was determined to throw him around as it pleased. He involuntarily inhaled, water flooding into his lungs, when his feet hit something flat and solid. With nothing left to lose, he pushed hard off the surface, kicking his feet as he moved. His lungs spasmed, trying to expel the water. His vision was beginning to darken as his hand broke the surface. His head followed close behind and he gasped in desperate breaths, coughing and heaving up water.
He scanned his surroundings. He had been dragged deeper into Lower Pabu, annoyingly close to the stairs and emergency ladders leading to the safety of Upper Pabu. He searched for Omega, scanning the area carefully and methodically, doing his best not to panic the longer he couldn’t find her. Panicking would not help.
He finally spotted her holding onto a floating table, head resting on her arms. He made the treacherous swim over, debris slamming into him from all sides, and the tide still tugging at him as he swam. He grabbed onto the table, his body grateful for a moment of rest, his chest still heaving pained breaths and coughs.
“Omega.” She hadn’t moved since he spotted her. She stayed lying on the table, lower half still in the water. She had clearly been clinging to the table, much like he now was as he looked her over. Her eyes were closed, but when he checked her pulse, it was going strong. He put his hand under her nose and felt breaths puff against it.
He sighed in relief, but didn’t let himself rest quite yet. He made his way carefully around to her and did his best to carefully haul her up onto the table properly, lying her on her side as best he could without her rolling off again. Once she was stable, he let himself finally rest.
He laid his head down, pillowing it on his right arm as he clung to the table with his one hand. His chest burned and he still couldn’t quite get a full breath, his chest heaving. His eyes wanted to drift closed, but he refused to let them, keeping watch for their brothers. They had to be coming.
Rain lashed at the windshield of the Marauder as Hunter desperately scanned the surrounding beach. Or whatever was left of it. The whole thing was flooded, the ocean crashing in violent waves against the cliffs on the far side, swallowing the sandy shore greedily.
“Anything?” He asked Wrecker, who sat in the pilot’s seat, keeping the ship steady as they searched.
“Nothing. This is where Omega said they were going though. They have to be close.”
Hunter scanned the area once more. “I don’t think they are. Crosshair at least should have noticed the rain before it got too bad and moved them out. They might have tried to make their way back. Take us to Lower Pabu.”
“Alright.” Wrecker sounded uneasy as he turned the Marauder around, bringing them to the town proper. Hunter felt his stomach sink at the sight of the town. The streets were flooded and debris flowed through them on high waters. Waves of water barrelled through, taking everything with them. If Crosshair and Omega were down there, they would need to find them fast.
The ship slowed as they began scanning the area once again. Hunter’s eyes followed the path he knew Omega would most likely take, a route that led directly to the stairs to Upper Pabu, but avoided the main roads. It was the way she went when she needed to sneak back home quickly without being spotted. He was pretty sure she thought it was secret from her brothers.
The roads crossing the route were flooded, water rushing through, turning the streets into a series of violent, colliding rivers. His eyes followed those rivers one by one. If they weren’t on that route, they had probably been swept along on of those streets.
“There.” He pointed towards the square and hoped Wrecker saw as he rushed out of the cockpit and lowered the ramp, preparing the cables.
He looked down as the ship moved and watched the square get closer. His eyes quickly found the table floating in the middle of it, surrounded by a variety of other debris that had washed into the relative calm where the rushing rivers ended.
He clipped himself to a cable and grabbed the other, lowering himself down as the ship steadied. He kept himself just above the water, the rain battering at his face and the wind whipping around him. Neither of them seemed awake initially, but as he got closer, he saw Crosshair’s eyes, tired but alert, tracking him as he approached them. He seemed reluctant to lift his head, but reached out towards Omega.
Hunter got the hint and checked Omega over, finding a strong pulse. Her body trembled and her skin was too cold. When he was done, he looked over Crosshair. He seemed exhausted and hadn’t made an attempt move. His chest heaved laboured breaths, and he too shook with the cold.
“Will you be able to take the spare line?”
Crosshair took a moment to look over and consider before nodding. He pushed himself up with a quiet groan Hunter only just picked up over the sounds of the storm. He helped him secure himself to the cable and made sure he was able to hold on properly before scooping Omega up and holding her close. He looked up and saw Wrecker peering down at them. He gave him a thumbs up and soon the three of them were steadily rising.
Wrecker was quick to steady Crosshair when he reached the ship, swaying on his feet. He unclipped him and helped him inside with a steadying hand on his back. Hunter held Omega close and followed them.
He made his way quickly to the bunks, settling Omega down on one before finding a towel and drying her off. She shivered as he worked, leaning into the warmth from him and the towel. He sighed in relief when her eyes fluttered open and she blinked blearily up at him.
“Hunter?”
He pulled her into a hug and just held her for a long moment before returning to drying her off.
“Wha’ happened? Where’s Cross?” She blinked around at the Marauder.
“You two got caught up in the flash floods. We got you out. Don’t worry, Wrecker has Crosshair.” As he said that he heard the fresher door slide closed followed by a sigh from Wrecker. He felt the ship rumble and begin to move, heading back to the safety of Upper Pabu.
He wrapped the towel around Omega and got up to find spare clothes. He quickly got her into dry clothes and wrapped in warm towels and blankets. Despite her determination to check on Crosshair, she couldn’t fight off the exhaustion for long and quickly fell back asleep. He watched and listened as she slept. She didn’t seem to be having and trouble breathing, and her breaths didn’t sound wet. He didn’t find any injuries either, apart from some minor scrapes and bruises. She mostly just seemed cold and exhausted.
He leaned back with a heavy sigh as he felt the ship settle as it landed. He gave himself a moment to just breathe before a thud had his eyes snapping open. He shot to his feet and made his way to the fresher door that hadn’t opened since Crosshair went in. Nor had he heard much sound from inside, not even the shower.
He swore and punched the button to open it just a little too hard.
Crosshair blinked heavily and felt himself sway on his feet as soon as they touched the platform. Wrecker was quick to steady him and guide him inside. He would never admit to leaning into the warm touch against his ice cold skin. He felt himself tremble with every step he took, but soon he was leaning against a wall while Wrecker ducked away.
He shivered and watched through bleary eyes as Hunter settled Omega onto a bunk, quickly grabbing a towel to dry her off. The kid had better be okay, Hunter would kill him if she got hurt on his watch. He let out a shaky breath of relief when he saw her stir.
His view was blocked when Wrecker returned, holding out a towel and fresh clothes. He was saying something, but Crosshair ignored him, taking the offerings and sealing himself in the fresher.
He leaned heavily against the sink, trying to blink back into focus as he felt his mind begin to drift, feeling distant from his own body. He took the time to settle his breathing, his chest was hurting from the laboured heaving. He coughed, then steadied himself as the world spun.
He reached for the towel, drying off his face and hands before beginning to peel off his wet layers, throwing the clothes into a pile. The world refused to stay steady as he moved, spinning at every movement that wasn’t painfully slow. He had to pause multiple times to blink away black spots, his mind a tired haze as his body worked on autopilot.
He was half dressed and was just reaching for his shirt when the world spun dangerously fast and he felt suddenly incredibly unsteady. The world tilted and went black before he knew what happened.
Crosshair woke slowly, feeling a soft mattress below him, warmth pressed against him from all sides. He still felt cold, his body trembling lightly as he became aware of it. His mind felt sluggish and his body was too heavy to respond properly to its demands. Not that it was making many at that moment.
He felt something move against him and felt something squeeze him. He shifted and blinked his eyes open, gazing down at the arm holding him there gently. He followed it and found Hunter lying next to him blinking as if he had just woken up, his other hand holding his bandanna up from his eyes. He gave Crosshair a soft smile before settling back down next to him.
Crosshair lay there for a moment. His mind and body were screaming at him to sleep, but he forced his eyes over to his other side. Wrecker bracketed his other side, rumbling snores filling the silence. He wasn’t quite pressed to his side like Hunter was though, and when Crosshair looked down to investigate why, he smiled softly.
Omega was wedged between himself and Wrecker. She was no longer shaking from the cold and was pressed firmly to his side. She seemed unharmed, just tired, sleeping soundly surrounded by her brothers. He brought up his hand to run through her hair before settling down into the vod pile, twisting to curl around Omega.