The prisoner lay still, the wound on his head still wet with fresh blood, and more dripped down his neck and back. The doctor was nowhere to be found.

"He must have been discovered…" she said, noticing the mess. The child slid off her shoulders, kneeling on the table, eyes racing over the wound with precision.

"damn it, don't you soldiers ever think of others when you're fighting?" he growled "broken bones, major concussion, cracked skull, blood loss, internal bleeding…you guys get points for brutality, that's for damn sure." The cat/person healer said, turning around to sit on the table, his short legs dangling off the edge. The girl was shocked to hear such a young child swear, but she agreed with him. "Miss?" she turned "In that cloak, there's a book. Can you please get it for me?" she nodded, retrieving the heavy volume. The boy took it, wincing from the pain of his rib, leafing through the pages until he found what he was looking for. "Please back away, it might get messy." He warned, turning to his patient. The girl backed to the wall; watching the small child speak a spell, then vanish into a stream of light.

Hours later, the light vanished, and the boy fell backwards off the table, only to be caught by the girl. He looked up at her, smiling faintly, tiny fangs protruding from underneath his upper lip. Dark circles ringed his dull eyes, the healthy glow of his skin barely showing now.

"I did it…he's gonna…be ok…" he turned away, burying his face in the crook of her arm, blacking out. The girl looked fondly at the little healer, smiling sadly.

"Thank you, little one. You are truly a hero."

56 woke with a start, breathing hard. He clutched his chest, looking around wildly. He remembered, he had hidden from his teammates to avoid them asking questions if he collapsed again. He sighed deeply, the pain in his heart had lessened significantly; 13 was going to be ok. He could sense it.

'Thank you…' he thought 'for keeping our friend in this world'.

Knocking on his door dragged him out of his daydreams. The door opened to reveal 02 and 15 in the doorway.

"Ya ok? Ye didn't look so good yesterday." 02 remarked. 56 grinned sheepishly.

"Yes, I'm fine. Bad meat. I must have had a reaction or something." He smiled. "Really guys, I'm fine." The others nodded then turned out of the room.

'13, please come back soon. We're all waiting for your return…' he prayed.

I don't remember…

No.. I don't remember…

Who am I? Where am I?

What's wrong with me?

I… I can't move…

What's going on…

Drip. Drip. Drip.

Something…wet?

Blood? Water? What is this…?

Ehh… salty…wait……t…tears?

Whose tears? Mine? Or someone else's?

It hurts…

What's wrong with me…

It…hurts…aaahhhhhhhhhhhh!!!!!!!

The girl stirred from her sleep, hearing a faint cry of pain. She jumped to her feet, drawing her gun, only to find the boy on the table thrashing in his sleep. She quickly caught hold of him, cradling him in her arms, despite his unconscious flailing.

'Calm down… please… calm…down… ahh!' the boy had somehow managed to hit her hard in a long time bruise, causing her to cringe in pain. 'Calm down. I'm not going to hurt you… please… trust me…'

As if understanding her words, the boy went limp in her arms, drifting back into a deep sleep. The girl released him, one hand on the bruise. The healer stirred from the cloak bed, looking around sleepily.

"What's goooooiiiiiiiiinng on?" he yawned.

"Nothing. Just a bad dream. Go back to sleep." She said, going back to where she had been, drawing her knees close, sleep overtaking her.

The soldier the ice hawks had rescued the previous day awoke in the late afternoon, dazed, but alert. Looking around, he noticed 41 sitting on a stool close by, a book open in his lap.

"Ugh… where am I?" he asked weakly. 41 glanced up momentarily, then returned to his book.

"…our base. Who are you? Why are you here?"

"…got…shot…tired…shelter…" 41 nodded silently, logging the info away for later use.

"You should rest, your body took quite a beating." The stranger nodded, turning away while trying to curl up, but his wounds pained him badly. Sleep was easy though…

When I woke, I had absolutely no idea where I was. Darkness always seemed on the edges of my vision, waiting to gobble me up again. My body hurt everywhere; even my eyelashes hurt. I knew one thing though; I had survived whatever had happened to me.

I came to, barely able to open my eyes; one seemed 'stuck'. Must be some glue on my face or something. Turning my head, I looked around, confused.

"Ah, you're awake. Glad to see that, the little guy should be glad too." A voice, familiar yet… not. It's a female, pretty young from the sound of her voice, but with a faint deepness. Odd.

"Who…a…are you?" my own voice sounds awful, like a rusty saw.

"A friend. That's all you need to know. Now rest, you need your sleep."

"Ah…w…where am I?" I whispered, willing my rasp not to crack.

"A safe place. I shall protect you with my life, don't worry." The voice is kind to me, I feel safe…for some reason. Who is she?

I'll think about it later…I'm sleepy……zzz…