Is the scene safe?
That question was drilled into students' heads over and over from day one of paramedic training. It was the first thing that any competent medic would ask themselves as they approached the area from a distance and pulled on their gloves. It should come before concern for their patients; before thinking of the need for cardiopulmonary resuscitation or control of major bleeding.
You can't help anyone if you're injured or dead.
As a combat medic, Lifeline was more aware of this than the average emergency responder. Especially as a competitor of the Apex Games- she'd learned to look for the distant glint of sunlight off of a sniper scope, to check her corners for an enemy waiting out of sight with a shotgun, never to stand directly in front of a door when opening it, always to the side where she had cover.
She was accustomed to the battlefield- the agonized screams of the wounded, the mangled, bleeding bodies, the smell of exposed abdominal organs. It hurt her, every time, to see the suffering of other people, but she maintained her focus. She put that aside and focused on whatever task was needed- to save their life, or preserve her own, as the case often was in the Games.
That was the job.
It was rare that she made a mistake. Mistakes in her line of work meant needless suffering and death, and she wouldn't have those things when there was another way. Unfortunately, like any other sentient being, she wasn't perfect.
Today, she'd made a critical mistake.
A messy fight- multiple teams involved. It seemed to go on for hours, when in reality, it had been over in a matter of seconds. The last team standing grabbed what loot they could quickly and moved on, as their position had been given away. Lifeline cleared the building - checked around the hinged side of the door, cleared her corners, assessed every crate and piece of machinery that could provide cover - then rushed to aid her wounded teammate.
She hadn't thought to check on top of the open doors. Seriously, who had the patience and stamina to perch on top of an open door, waiting for an enemy combatant to pass by? It was the first time she'd encountered such a thing- but that one time was all it took.
Two gunshots cut through the silence like thunder, and she lay on the ground beside the teammate she'd been trying to save, warm blood pooling beneath her body and leaving her freezing cold. Her teammate was still and silent beside her now- no more spasms; the only pained, rattling gasps that remained were her own. Whoever had taken her down was gone; they'd chosen not to remain in this compromised position.
It took more and more effort for her to fill her lungs with air.
One of the bullets had likely punctured her chest wall; air in the space around her lung was preventing air from being drawn into it. She needed to apply an occlusive dressing. She tried to sit up and assess the damage- her body felt impossibly heavy, an immovable obstacle, and a fresh wave of agony pulsed through her.
Why hadn't she thought to check above the doors…?
It dun' do any good to be thinkin' about that now. Worry 'bout how yuh gonna' keep yourself alive.
The sound of approaching footsteps caught her attention. She held her breath- it wasn't difficult; in this state it took less effort and caused her less pain. The footsteps were quiet, barely detectable, clearly made by someone who'd been trained to move undetected… Each time, they made an odd metallic sound, not the expected thud of combat boots on concrete.
A tall, thin, and oddly proportioned figure rounded the corner, and the medic understood why.
It was that strange robot whose "death" she'd eased in another Game last month, only for him to show up in her office late that night without a scratch. Revenant, he was called- and he'd built up quite a reputation in the Games already, for both the skill and brutality of his kills. When she thought about their encounter, he terrified her and he fascinated her at the same time.
Her eyes widened as he crept toward her. He was confident and stealthy, moving at a steady pace- he could kill her any time he wanted and he knew that; there was no need to rush, nor was there a good reason to work slowly.
He stood over her. His metal hands gripped her shoulders. She squeezed her eyes shut and waited for the end to come- perhaps he meant to grant her a quick and easy death, as she had done for him.
That seemed not to be the case, as she felt herself being dragged across the concrete floor. She gasped sharply in pain, tried to cry out but her throat didn't want to work…
When the assassin stopped and let go of her, she found that she was propped against a wall in a sitting position. He'd moved her to a recessed area around a corner from the main door, out of line of sight from outside the building. Now he towered over her. The orange light from his optics illuminated the sharp edges and angles of his upper body with an eerie glow in the dim, concrete building, which made him appear downright sinister.
He held a med kit in his hands, which he popped open and set beside her.
"We're even," the robot growled in a low tone. "Next time I see you, I will kill you."
Revenant turned and walked away.
"Attention: There is a new kill leader."
Top six- Lifeline needed to choose her pathing carefully as the closing Ring forced her to move. She was alone, and a full team could be waiting for her around any corner… Her best option was to play around cover, let the other teams fight it out, then flank the winners of that fight before they had a chance to loot resources.
She raised her rifle to her shoulder and looked through the scope. No enemies that she could see, no telltale sounds of violence. Staying as low to the ground as she could without sacrificing movement speed, the medic darted from the large rock she'd been using for cover into a hopefully empty building.
This time, she checked above the doors when she cleared the space behind them.
The building was clear. She was safely inside the Ring.
Distant gunshots sounded- she rushed to the window and looked out through her scope. Two teams were fighting to get control of a building to her northeast. It was far enough away that she would be safe from the weapons that they were currently using, though she was mindful of the possibility that someone might have a sniper rifle.
The sounds died down as the fight came to an end. She watched the victorious team tend to their wounded teammate, gather some loot, and move away from the building- downhill, behind the cover of some rocks, where she suspected the next Ring would be.
A minute passed. Five minutes. No one made a move for the now empty building at which the fight had taken place. If Lifeline could make it there safely, she'd have a better position from which to make it into the next Ring.
She slung the rifle across her back and made a mad dash through the open, not daring to look back until she was inside the building. There, she raised the weapon in a smooth motion and began her process of clearing the danger zones.
No enemy combatants lay in wait for a kill this time. She did, however, find her attention drawn to a familiar mechanical figure, badly damaged and attempting to push himself across the ground with limbs that wouldn't fully cooperate.
She lowered the rifle and rushed to his side.
Revenant made a grab for her arm as she reached toward him, but in his weakened state, she was able to pull away.
"None o' dat, now."
The medic reached out to him again, and this time, he didn't resist.
"Just kill me this time," he snarled.
He sounded truly pained and exhausted, a strange tone to hear with the modulation of his artificial voice. A jagged wound from his shoulder joint into the metal plating that covered his chest exposed internal wires and cables. Hydraulic fluid leaked from an actuator in his shoulder.
Lifeline shook her head. "Yuh know I dun' work like dat."
Carefully, she reconnected wires that had been severed. Each time she touched those wires, she swore she could feel him tense beneath her- like a patient when their wounds had to be cleaned out with isopropyl alcohol. The reaction was so out of place for a machine… Still, she received the signal, and worked as gently as possible.
"Making this difficult when it could have been over already," Revenant growled. "Tch. Skin-suits."
The medic moved some wires back into position, and though she handled them as carefully as she could, he hissed in pain.
"You won't get another favor from me," he insisted. "We're even."
Lifeline tilted her head. "Yuh dun' like owin' things to people, huh? That's okay."
Revenant gave her a threatening glare.
"Mhm," she responded simply.