XXIII.
Cora had heard his voice, coming through at first distorted and mostly covered in static, but she had heard him finally respond after what felt like hours of her trying to reach him. At first, she'd thought maybe she'd imagined it, starting to lose hope that she would ever hear her name on his lips again. But then, there it was loud and clear and the greatest thing she'd ever heard in her life. Cora had flapped her arm so hard to get Doctor Carlyle to send up another flare she was sure she could have dislocated her shoulder, but finally, Scott and Liam had seen the flare and they had heard her calls out to them over their communications channel. They were following her nav point and she was then desperate to see him with her own eyes.
That was until they'd been attacked by the same alien life that they'd seen during their descent onto the planet, and as per protocol they only fired back once fired upon. The aliens were strong and tough, they pushed them back to the shuttle and had them pinned down until Cora heard more rifle fire and knew Scott and Liam had arrived just in time to assist them.
"Alec, I see Scott and Liam." Cora almost laughs with joy when she tries to reach Alec, having not seen him since he went to find a better spot to scout from and see if he could not only see the other shuttle, but also the alien buildings that they'd spotted on their way down.
"I told you he'd be okay." Cora hears Alec's response, calm and comforting in her ear as she lowers her rifle to sit on top of one of the crates and begins running across the grass and towards Scott.
"Scott!" Cora shouts, knowing her helmet is masking the sound a fair amount but hoping he can still hear her. She watches him spot her and that he begins running towards her too, she notices him splash across the river that separates them finding it difficult when his boots start sinking into the mud beneath the surface.
Cora laughs when she watches him trying to get unstuck, shaking his feet hard before he finally makes the last few steps between them and catches her when she jumps into his arms, wrapping her legs around his body and arms around his neck when he holds her up in his gloved hands and their helmets touch.
"I never thought..." Scott begins and she shakes her head at him, reminding him to open his channel. "I said.." Scott laughs. "I never thought I'd never see you again." He adds and she hears that he's out of breath.
"I saw what happened to your shuttle." Cora begins and she feels him lower her back onto her feet but keep his visor against hers, and she can see his face. "Oh, Scott." Cora whispers, trying to push away the guilty feeling when she sees how he is looking at her.
"I love you, Cora." Scott whispers and she feels him place his hands on her shoulders, knowing that he is trying to touch any part of her that he can without letting the poison air into his suit. She feels him take hold of her hand, squeezing it over and over, which makes her smile when she knows he wants to kiss her.
"I love you." Cora sighs as she lifts both of her hands to his helmet and keeps his eyes on her. "I was so worried about you." She whispers and sees him smile. "Let's not do that again, okay?" She smiles and he nods.
"Okay." Scott smiles. "We'll make sure we're in the same shuttle from now on." He chuckles. "Where's my dad, anyway?" Scott asks and she watches him look around them.
Cora glances around them too, sure she can hear Liam telling the others that Kirkland has been killed by the aliens they encountered but that Greer is close by and would need help getting back to the shuttle. Cora watches Scott step away from her and towards the shuttle, looking inside it as if he is expecting Alec to be there. She watches him check his rifle before looking back to her.
"He has gone ahead to scout the area." Cora begins and sees him nod lightly and that he goes to check on Lola and Harry, crouching down in front of them to make sure they are okay.
"Okay, how close are we to getting airborne again?" Scott asks and she watches him glance to the shuttle that is being repaired. "This storm is definitely getting worse and we need to get everyone back to the Hyperion." Scott nods.
"Maybe another hour?" Fisher begins and Cora watches him lift another panel on the side of the shuttle and continue with his repairs. "I'm working as fast as I can." He smiles making Cora laugh lightly.
"We should find Alec." Cora sighs and sees Scott nod. "As much as I don't want to split us all up now we're back together." She adds. "But we can't leave without him." She sees Scott glance at her when she says this, and knows his eyes must have some jealousy in them.
"I'll see if I can reach him." Scott nods and she sees him bring up his screen and start contacting the Pathfinder. "What's that noise?" Scott asks as Cora looks around her when she feels the ground start to rumble beneath their feet, and the rocks around them begin floating like the ones they'd seen before. "Take cover everyone!" Scott shouts as they feel the charge of electricity around them.
Cora quickly dives in front of the team, lifting her hands out and above her as she draws all of her biotic power from within her. She feels it fizzing at the back of her head, and the ache in her jaw as it gathers around her. She forces a large protective barrier out of her body, the blue light surrounding her as she holds it around them all and deflects a large lightning strike from hitting them. Watching it bounce off of her shield, which dissolves when she retracts it back into her body. Cora feels Scott's eyes on her, and grateful look on his face.
"Don't worry everyone." Cora begins as she feels the energy disperse in her body and notices that the rest of the team are quiet. "It's not contagious." She adds and sees Scott give her a small smile.
"Man, I wish it was." Liam laughs. "I've wanted to see you do that," Liam adds and Cora nods lightly, trying to catch her breath after the large shield so soon after waking from stasis. "Damn." Liam smiles making Cora smile and shake her head.
"It's a good job you were here." Scott smiles and she feels him place his hand on her arm. "Told you everyone thinks you're a badass." Scott laughs lowering his voice, even though she knew they could all hear him. Cora places her hand over his and feels his eyes on her.
"Thanks, Cora." Harry begins and she glances at him when she hears his thanks, finding it strange but knows he is being sincere. She watches him turn back to Hayes and continue treating her leg.
"We need to get out of here." Scott begins and she watches him move to her side again and lift his arm to try and contact Alec. "Alec, the storm isn't letting up and we have wounded here." Scott continues when Cora notices that he has answered Scott's call to him.
"I'm glad to see you are okay, Scott," Alec replies and she can hear the smile in his voice. "It's too dangerous to take off in the storm." Alec continues and she hears Scott huffs quietly, she knew he wanted off of this planet and to take the team with him. "Is everyone okay?" Alec asks and it makes her wonder who he is talking about.
"We're fine Alec, but Hayes was hit." Cora joins the conversation and hears the sound of Alec humming to himself, thinking of what to do next and can just hear him breathing.
"I'm glad you're okay." Alec sighs lightly. "Scott," Alec adds. "Get your weapons, bring Cora and Liam, and meet me at my location." Alec adds and she hears his line go quiet.
"Are we sure this is a good idea?" Scott sighs and she notices that Liam approaches them, lifting his rifle onto his back. Cora glances at Liam and then at Scott, shrugging slightly. "Yeah, I know, Pathfinder's orders." Scott sighs and she giggles.
"It's not far." Cora nods and lifts her arm to show him where Alec is on her display. "Just keep your eyes open, they are going to know we've exchanged fire and they'll be hostile." Cora sighs and she sees Liam and Scott nod.
"I've got to say am loving my time on Habitat 7." Scott mumbles and she hears Liam laugh and check his rifle and ammo again. Cora sees Scott do the same and she attaches hers to her back, reaching for her ammo packs.
"I'm kinda glad Sara didn't see this." Liam begins and Cora watches Scott nod and hears his sigh. "She was dead excited, I think she'd have been disappointed." Liam nods and Cora watches Scott lift his hand to pat Liam on the shoulder.
"Even more reason to get back to the Hyperion." Scott nods. "Wake her up and tell her what a giant dump this place is." Scott laughs making Cora giggles and Liam laugh too.
"You have such a way with words, Ryder." Cora smiles. "So let's go boys." Cora laughs nodding her head in the direction that she'd watched Alec head, giving another glance down at her screen to check they are going the right way.
Cora lets her eyes scan the horizon again, not finding anything familiar to her and still feeling unnerved about the planet. She steps away from them and begins walking ahead, happy to take the lead and keep an eye on where they are walking and for Scott and Liam to watch their back and keep an eye out for any threats. She hears the sound of them moving behind her, feeling reassured that they are close and that they, like her, are letting their feet step carefully onto the unknown ground and over the strange plants and soil. All three of them making sure not to get tripped up by the tentacles that tries to wrap around their ankles.
"This planet is weird." Cora hears Liam in her ear and looks over her shoulder to check on him, and sees that he is wriggling his foot free from a bright pink winding plant.
"Babe, I really don't want to live here. Do you think we could pick a new planet?" Scott begins and she hears Liam and Scott both laughing at his comment, and she can't help but smile either.
"Really, Babe?" Cora replies, emphasizing the pet name he's just called her. "I was actually about to say how much I'm enjoying myself." She adds and hears them chuckle again. "I've always wanted weird pink tentacles in my garden," Cora adds and then realises what she's said and hears Liam and Scott break into a loud round of laughter.
"Told you she was kinky." Scott chuckles making Cora try and to keep a straight face, she looks over her shoulder at Scott and Liam and watches them bump fists. Cora turns back to paying attention to where she is walking and making sure not to step on anything.
"More than he knows what to do with." Cora giggles quietly and she hears the sound of Scott scoffing at her comment and Liam laughing harder behind her. "He just wishes he could keep up." She adds and hears them both laugh.
"Burn, Scott." Liam laughs and Cora looks over her shoulder at them again and grins. She watches as Scott pushes back a plant with the back of his hand, glancing up at the sky when they hear the scattered fire.
"Was that a rifle?" Scott asks and she realises she hears it too, turning her head slightly to try and decide where it is coming from. "It must be Alec." Scott adds and she nods her head, it did sound like it was close and where he'd sent them his nav point.
"Let's find out." Cora nods and begins sprinting, her boots now hard against the ground as she runs. She can hear Scott and Liam close behind her, hearing them both activate their jump jets and she sees them fly over her head, using them to move faster and cover the distance in single leaps.
Cora watches them get ahead of her, she summons a small amount of biotic energy and begins boosting herself and covering the distance just as quickly as them. When they come to what looks to be a large rock face, with no noticeable way around they stop. Cora notices that there is a sheer drop one side, and the other is covered with another tall rock formation that goes on for as far as the eye can see. She begins letting her eyes move over the surface, wondering how Alec managed to scale it and how they were going to get past it.
"There." Scott points towards a small natural looking ledge that cuts into the rock that looks large enough for them to get through, and low enough to be able to use their jets to reach it. "He must have gone through there." Scott adds.
"I'll check it out." Cora nods as she sets up a warp and unleashes it, propelling her through the air and towards the ledge. Her judgement perfect as she reaches it with ease.
Cora feels her boots come into contact with the stone, feeling her boots scuff against the loose surface so she places her hand out to steady herself. She immediately drops so she is crouching and glances around the cut-through in the rock, and she spots Alec crouched down against the floor too. As she moves closer, she can see that he is watching an alien settlement in the distance and he motions for her to stay down. Cora leans over and gestures for Scott and Liam to join them and hears them activate their jets and quickly land on the ledge beside her. She sees that Alec instructs them to be quiet and go prone like he is.
"Cora." Alec begins. "Come, take look." Alec whispers and she moves forward towards him, trying to keep as quiet as she can. "What do you think?" He continues to whisper over their comms and she feels his hand on her back, drawing her closer to him and directing her to look towards the structure too that the aliens appear to be guarding.
"I think they don't want us in there." Cora whispers. "You think that has something to do with the bad weather?" Cora asks and she sees him nod lightly. She hears Scott and Liam moving closer too, so she glances over her shoulder at Scott and notices he is looking at Alec's hand that is still on her and stroking her back beneath his glove.
"Then we definitely need to get in there." Alec begins and she watches him briefly look back at Scott. "But we'll need to get through them first." He sighs and Cora feels his eyes on her. "See how the lightning is coming from there?" He adds and gives him a small smile and nod, it felt really good to be back on a mission with him and something they hadn't done for months.
"Some sort of lightning rod?" Cora asks but she sees him shake his head and move his eyes back to it. "You think it's causing the storm?" She asks and he gives her a small smile.
"Yes, and if we shut it down we might be able to leave." Alec begins and she feels his eyes on her. "Are you all with me?" Alec mumbles and she nods, she'd be with him forever if he let her.
"I'm in." Scott replies and Cora glances at him, she can see by the look on his face that he isn't happy about her being so close to the Pathfinder and that he looks disappointed in her. Cora lowers her eyes and realises if she and Alec do decide to try again, Scott is going to be heartbroken.
"Hell yeah, let's do this." Liam chuckles. "This is what we came for." He adds and Cora watches Alec hold out his arm and motion for Liam and Scott to go first. Cora watches Liam activate his jet and jump down from the ledge, closely followed by Scott.
"This feels good, Alec." Cora smiles when she feels his eyes on her. "It's been too long since we've done this." She adds and notices that he nods in agreement and she feels his hand on her shoulder.
"We were cooped up in my lab for too long." Alec chuckles and places her hand over his. "There's no one I'd rather have here with me." Alec adds and she watches him smile through his helmet. "Come on, Harper. Let's show those boys what we can do." Alec chuckles and she feels him lower his hand from her and set off with his own boost.
Cora climbs to her feet and goes after them, letting herself leap off of the ledge and down to the ground below. She glances up and watches Alec begin activating his augmentations and rapidly begin flitting around the alien settlement, with Scott and Liam running to keep up.
"Alec." Cora laughs when she watches him running up the ramp and leaving the younger men behind, and them wondering how he is managing to be so fast and powerful as he takes down several aliens in a few seconds.
—/—
Cora lets her head roll back as she lifts her eyes to the still angry and storm-filled sky, watching the lightning continue to strike around them. She watches another bolt light up the sky, noticing that it makes the ground rumble beneath her boots when it does. Cora takes a deep lungful of air inside her helmet, wishing desperately that she could be breathing real air right now and could remove her armour. She was hot, and slightly out of breath from the fight they'd just had with the alien threat, and she could still feel her biotics realigning after she pushed herself to help Alec, Scott, and Liam dispense of them all as quickly as possible. Okay, she was also sort of showing off in front of Alec too. But now she was stood outside the tall stone structure that Alec and Scott have managed to find a way to open, and she's keeping watch for any additional threats while they want to look inside.
"Ryder's." Cora begins when she watches Alec and Scott begin walking towards the ancient stone doors, them both noticing that it has got stuck on its way down. "Are we sure this is safe?" Cora adds and she hears Scott chuckle and then hears that Alec and Scott are saying something to each other. "Please be careful." Cora sighs, for a moment wondering which of the men she wanted that for the most.
Cora was feeling certain she loved Scott, but now Alec had made her question about how she felt about him. Maybe Alec was right that they had just clung to each other because of the situation. Did he really love her or were they just infatuated with each other? Was her relationship purely based on their physical attraction? Did she feel anything as deeply for him as she does for Alec? She wanted to believe that she did love Scott, but Alec was Alec and he'd been right that neither of them could let this go she knew she couldn't ignore her feelings for him. She'd tried to convince herself that she didn't still love him, but she knew that she did. Did he want them to be together or was this just another part of his game?
Cora watches the pair begin pushing the stones together, smiling to herself when she sees them. She did hope that this was what they needed to bring them closer together, and maybe going forward things would be easier for them both. Cora sighs again, lowering her eyes from them and shaking her head lightly. She'd done something that would completely end Alec and Scott's relationship, and she couldn't fool herself into thinking that they would ever get past it. Scott was going to be so hurt and she was going to have to tell him that she wasn't over Alec at all. She was going to break Scott's heart with both truths. Cora watches Alec and Scott step inside, suddenly feeling worried when they disappear into the darkness.
"Liam?" Cora asks when her attention is drawn away from a sound on the other side of the platform, wondering where Liam has gone and if there could be any aliens that they've missed. "Liam, are you poking around here?" Cora asks, raising her voice as she walks towards the noise and away from the front of the structure. She takes her rifle from her back, raising it as she continues to follow the noise.
"Yes, sorry." Cora hears Liam finally reply and she hears him moving again below her on the ramp. "Sorry, I got distracted." He adds and she lets out a light sigh and lowers her rifle, looking over the edge and down to where she can see him scanning an alien that they've killed.
"Be careful." Cora huffs and she watches as he raises his hand and gives her a small wave to show he will. Cora looks over her shoulder, realising that she has left her post for a moment too long and she should be keeping an eye on Alec and Scott.
"Did they do that?" Cora hears Liam's voice and as she does she lifts her eyes to the sky, watching the storm begin to disperse and be replaced by beautiful blue colour. "Wow." Liam mumbles in her ear and she couldn't think of a better word as the sky begins to change to red, then yellow, and finally pink. She watches white swirls of cloud replace the dark ones.
"Have you guys seen this?" Scott begins and it draws her attention back to the structure when she watches that both Ryder's are stepping out of the door, before stopping and fixing their eyes on the sky. Cora smiles lightly when she sees Scott is taking pictures, trying to save this moment forever. "You did it." Scott mumbles and Cora watches Alec lift his hand to Scott's shoulder.
"We did it, Son," Alec replies and she can hear the smile in his voice. "Cora, you have to come and see this sunset." Alec adds and she watches him begin looking around and trying to find her when he doesn't immediately see her. Cora feels his gaze finally settle on her, holding his hand out and motioning for her to join him.
"It's so beautiful." Cora whispers and she hears a happy sighing sound from Alec and watches as he lifts his hands to his hips as they continue to gaze around them. This was why he was here, to find them a home. She laughs lightly when she sees that Scott takes a picture of himself and Alec and then again of the structure. She notices that Alec takes the opportunity of Scott being distracted to turn his attention back to her, and she knows he wants to share this with her.
Cora begins walking towards them, beginning to jog so that she can reach them quickly and enjoy the view with the two people she loved the most. She smiles when Scott beckons her to him too, hurrying her so that she doesn't miss the stunning display in the atmosphere above their heads.
Cora slows when she feels a rumble beneath her boots, and there is unexpectedly a deafening explosion from deep within the structure, causing Alec and Scott to stumble slightly when they feel it. She watches Alec lift his eyes to the top as if he is trying to decide what caused it. Cora sees the structure suddenly light up, so bright that she has to lift her hand to cover her visor.
"Scott, get out of there!" Cora shouts as an enormous wave of energy tears out of it, hitting Scott and Alec straight on and carrying them away with such force that they are propelled fast and over the edge of the sheer drop. "No, no. Alec!" Cora screams, starting to run after them but stumbling and being knocked to the floor by a second smaller wave.
Cora drags herself across the floor and towards the edge, looking over and down into the gloom to try and see them. Panic hitting her hard when she sees how far down it is knowing there is no way they could have survived that fall. She notices she can't see either of them so she activates her lights, trying to shine it down through the haze.
"Cora to the Pathfinder Team." Cora shouts, her fingers not working fast enough to try and get through to them. "We need the shuttle to my location immediately. Pathfinder and Ryder down." She huffs and hopes they can hear her from this far away.
"Cora, I'll keep trying them." She hears Liam and then that he is running, trying to get to somewhere higher so that he has a better chance of reaching them. "Just hang on." Liam puffs and she hears him cut out.
"Scott!" Cora shouts, her eyes desperately searching the ground for him and Alec, looking for any sign of movement. "Scott, can you hear me?!" Cora shouts again, raising her voice over the comms in the hopes he'll hear her. "Scott!" Cora shouts, feeling her voice waver as she quickly brings up her screen and sees that from the vitals Alec and Scott are still alive, she isn't sure how but they are. She can see that Scott looks steady, but that Alec's pain receptors are off the scale so she knows he's in trouble.
"Alec!" Cora shouts, feeling her breath catch when she hears his laboured breath. "Thank god." Cora whispers and she hears Alec cough. "Alec, please talk to me." She cries and she hears him groan.
"Cora." Alec croaks. "I'm so glad to hear your voice." He adds and she hears him groan again and knows he is in pain. "I think I've broken something in my leg." Alec mumbles and she locates him on her screen, his red dot starting to move slowly and Scott's not moving at all. "I don't think I can walk." Alec huffs and she watches his dot start moving faster and he cries out in pain.
"Alec." Cora cries, closing her eyes tightly when she hears him in pain. "Just stay where you, please." Cora whispers and she hears him sigh and the sound of him lowering himself to the floor. "I'm getting you help." She adds and hears him groan in response. "Oh, Alec." Cora whispers and she hears his steady breathing, hoping her voice is some comfort to him.
"Cora, the shuttle is coming." Liam announces and she feels a small amount of relief when she hears it. "Two or three minutes, just hold on." He adds and she hears him panting and running to get back to her.
"You need to help me find Scott." Alec begins and she can hear it through gritted teeth. "Cora, where is he?" Alec adds making her shake her head, she couldn't let him cause permanent damage to himself and move any further. He needed to sit tight and wait for the shuttle.
"Alec, the shuttle is coming for you both." Cora begins but she hears him huff and realises there is no use arguing with him so she nods and quickly find Scott's location and pings it to Alec. "I'm coming down there. I need to be with you." Cora adds and she hears his angry huff.
"No!" Alec shouts and she hears him trying to get to his feet and sees his dot begin moving towards Scott. "Cora, it's toxic. I can't risk you." He pants and notices his dot falters. "Scott?!" Cora hears Alec shouting to find his Son and the terrified sound in his voice breaks her heart.
"Scott's vitals don't look good." Cora chokes when she sees that his levels are suddenly quickly dropping. "Alec you're close, he's not far now." Cora sniffs, trying to stop the tears from falling when she feels so helpless. "Scott?!" Cora shouts, trying to rouse him.
"I see him.." Alec begins as she watches as their dots are almost together now. "He's going to be alright." Alec groans again and she hears him lowering himself to the floor again. "I love you, Cora." Alec huffs and she sees him reach Scott.
"Don't say that now, wait till we are together again." Cora whispers and she hears him sigh. "The shuttle is close." Cora adds and she hears him groan. "I love you, too Alec." Cora sniffs and she hears the line go quiet other than his panting.
"Cora." She hears Scott's voice, quiet and like he is struggling to breathe, but knows they are together now and the shuttle will reach them both and get them all out of here, so Scott can get seen by Harry and Alec can have his leg fixed.
"Scott, can you hear me?" Cora begins when she hears him coughing. "Your dad is with you baby." Cora sighs, trying to keep her voice from breaking when she speaks to him, wondering if he's heard what she'd told Alec and had heard their confession of love. "Stay with us." Cora whispers.
"Scott, look at me." She hears Alec's voice firm and demanding. "Scott, listen to me. We don't have time." He adds and Cora feels her stomach tighten into knots, realising Scott must be in a worse state than she'd imagined when she hears what Alec is saying. "You need to be here for Cora." He huffs.
"Dad, what are you doing?" Cora hears Scott's voice and can hear that he's gasping for breath. "Stop." She hears Scott gasp and watches as his vitals start dropping into the red.
Cora sees a warning message flash up on her screen that Scott is close to flatlining, and that his body is on the verge of shutting down. She sees his vitals reach the bottom of the graph and can't help but let out a loud sob when she sees that his vitals show he's gone.
"Scott." Cora sobs, suddenly noticing the next message that warns her that Alec Ryder's suit has been compromised and he has removed his helmet. "Alec?!" Cora shouts, trying to see them but not able to. "Alec, what have you done?" Cora screams when she watches Scott's vitals suddenly boost and Alec's begin to drop. "No, please Alec!" Cora cries, desperate to run to him and stop what he's doing.
"SAM." Alec gasps. "Begin transfer to Scott Ryder." Alec continues, struggling to breathe and Cora knows he has given Scott his helmet and saved him, she sees that Scott's levels are still dangerously low but he has stabilised.
"I can't be without you." Cora whispers and she hears Alec sigh and what sounds like him lowering himself completely to the floor. "Don't make me do this without you, Alec." Cora adds, sniffing and feeling the tears continue to fall.
"You can, Cora." Alec whispers. "I'm so proud of you. You've made me so happy." He sighs. "Take care of Scott for me." Alec mumbles and she hears the line cut out and sees his vitals become a flat line making her scream from deep inside her when she sees it.
"Alec?!" Cora shouts, desperate for someone to tell her what is happening. "Alec?!" Cora sobs. "Please, someone speak to me." She whispers and pushes herself back from the edge, scrambling on her hands and knees until she feels her body can't move any further.
Cora throws herself onto her back and lies onto the hard stone, crying as she feels the grief overtake every part of her body and leave her shaking and sobbing until there is nothing left. She hits her gloved hands against the ground, wanting to scream and begging whoever would listen to wake her up from this nightmare. Cora hears boots approaching her quickly and sees Liam appear above her.
"Where are they?" Liam begins and she watches him look around expecting to see them walking wounded. It's only when he sees her sobbing that he crouches down beside her. "Cora, what happened?" Liam asks and she feels him help her sit.
"Scott is hurt." Cora sniffs, hearing Liam sigh and wrap his arm around her shoulders. "Alec.." Cora cries and motions towards the edge and the large drop. "I couldn't save him." She sobs, her body shaking as she does.
"Oh, Cora." Liam whispers and she feels him wrap his arms around her the best he can through their armour, trying to comfort her as she sobs. "Kosta to Pathfinder team, ETA on that evac? Your gunna need to pick up Scott and the Pathfinder first. I'll ping the location, and then come back for us." Liam speaks over the channel.
"You got it." Cora hears Fisher over the comms and glances up when she hears the sound of the shuttle finally fly over them, wondering if they'd managed to reach them sooner would she have been able to save Alec.
"Come on, let's get you up." Liam begins and she feels him stand and reach to take hold of her under her arms, guiding her to her feet. "Cora this isn't your fault." Liam sighs and she feels his eyes on her.
"He needed me." Cora sniffs shaking her head, it was her fault. She hadn't been watching close enough when they'd been looking around inside, she hadn't been quick enough to try and stop them falling, she hadn't been there to hold Alec's hand and kiss him at the end.
Cora hears the shuttle below them and watches as it begins to climb, and David brings it to a stop at the edge of the platform so that they can pick her and Liam up. Cora notices that the door is already open and lots of pairs of sad eyes look out at her through their helmets. She feels Liam at her side and he takes her by the elbow and gets her walking towards the shuttle, making sure she doesn't trip when she steps up into it. She glances around and sees that they have collected their Pathfinder and that they have already loaded him onto a trolley.
"Alec." Cora whispers when she sets her eyes on him, not able to stop the tears any longer when she looks at him. Her eyes moving over Scott's broken helmet on his head and down to his hand that is resting on his chest. She steps closer to the trolley, lifting her hand to rest over his. It making her cry harder when she realises he is so still and she'll never feel the beating of his heart again.
"Cora, we need to get Scott back to the Hyperion." Doctor Carlyle begins and she realises she has been looking at Alec for too long and turns her attention to Harry who is trying to keep Scott stable. "His body is shutting down." He adds and she sees that Scott has been stretched out on the floor.
"Let's go, Fisher!" Liam shouts and she hears him banging his hand against the side of the shuttle, and then pressing the control to close the door as she feels shake beneath her as they gain height.
Cora carefully moves past Lola, noticing that she is sitting on one of the seats and that she has a wound from the first attack by the aliens that Harry has dressed. She sees Lola nod and give Cora a sympathetic smile, making her wonder what they must be all thinking for her to have been there when their Pathfinder died, and his son was to be so hurt.
Cora lowers herself to the floor beside Scott, wishing she could remove her helmet and armour so she could touch him and feel his warm skin beneath her palm. She notices how pale he is and that his eyes are closed, but that he wears Alec's N7 helmet, his most prized armour. She lifts her hand and places it on top of his helmet.
"What's happened to him?" Cora whispers and she sees Doctor Carlyle shake his head and his eyes meet her. "Why isn't he waking up?" Cora adds.
"I honestly don't know." Harry begins and she watches him reach for the vial to give Scott. "All I can do is keep his heart beating until we get him back to the Ark." Harry huffs and she watches as he delivers the shot to Scott.
Cora nods and lowers her eyes to Scott, reaching for his hand and holding it between her gloves hoping he can at least feel that she is there and with him. She glances over her shoulder to the trolley, closing her eyes for a moment when she remembers his final words to her. That he was proud and to look after Scott.
"Cora." She hears Doctor Carlyle's voice so turns her attention back to him. "I'm so sorry about Alec." He mumbles and she hears his sigh. "I know how much you meant to each other." Harry continues, making her nod and lower her eyes to Scott.
"Hold on everyone," Fisher announces. "I'm going to get us back as fast as I can." He adds and Cora feels the shuttle pick up speed, easily and quickly flying through Habitat 7's atmosphere now there is no storm.
"Hold on, Scott." Cora whispers and holds his hand tighter, hoping he can hear her and that she isn't going to be without both of them.