Author's Note: This is a short one-shot I thought of after beating the game. Based on the short cutscene after saving Zulf in the Tazal Terminals.
"Hey kid..." Kid pushes up a foot, then falls back to the ground. "Get up, Kid." Kid manages to make it to his knees, collapses again. "C'mon, now, that ain't funny. I said get up." Kid rises a few inches, shaking, before collapsing again, completely still. Me and Zia rush over. I check if he's breathing. He's not. His heart beats faintly a few more times then gives out. A single tear forms in Zia's eye, but we're both all dried out.
I slowly pick up the Kid's body and lay it in his bed. No point getting rid of it, this'll all be undone once the Bastion finishes calibrating. Zulf, back to us 'til now, comes over to look at the Kid. Zia yells at him. I can't make out what they're saying, since after spending a while with her people, Zia knows their language. Probably something about the Kid saving him. Zulf just takes it. Then he returns to his tent. Zia sits down next to the kid's body.
There's one thing left to try. I pour a health tonic down his throat. There's a single faint heartbeat. Then nothing. Zia spends the whole night watching over him. Come morning, the Bastion is charged. I pull the lever, hoping that things will change next time around.