A faint smile touched Kiah's lips. "Thanks. If not for your training, I probably wouldn't have gotten out of there alive."
She sighed and added, "Where are the others?"
"Worry about yourself first. You've been out for two days. Both of your shoulders were dislocated, and one even had no flesh left. You had seven broken ribs. A dozen smaller wounds. The doctor had to reset your bones manually before the nanos could finish the rest. You shouldn't be moving."
Kiah glanced down at herself. She could feel the tightness of the bandages wrapped around her torso and shoulder, but there was oddly no pain.
"I don't feel anything."
Eden's voice was flat. "It's been two days. But once the meds wear off, you'll wish you stayed unconscious."
Kiah sighed, letting her head sink back into the pillow. Her thoughts drifted to the test. The shrieks. The blood. The degenerates.
She was lucky to have made it. Truly.
Her fingers clenched.
"Those degenerates…" she trailed off.
Eden stood up, towering over her.
"Get some rest," her voice was cool and composed. "Since you're all doing better, your briefing will happen this evening."
"Briefing?" Kiah echoed.
"More like… an inauguration."
Kiah's eyes widened.
"Wait—does that mean I passed the test? Whatever it was."
For the first time, Eden's lips curved slightly. It wasn't a full smile, but it was close.
"Rest well." She said simply, before drawing back the curtain and walking away.
Kiah stared at the space Eden had just vacated, a stunned chuckle slipping from her lips.
She did it. She passed.
Finally, she was one step closer to getting answers and leaving this God forsaken world.
With the curtain drawn back, she spotted Blackie across from her, fast asleep on his bed. His face was partially bandaged, but he seemed well.
Kiah allowed herself a breath of relief. But that moment of peace didn't last long.
The curtain to her right was suddenly yanked open, revealing a grinning Naya.
"Kiki!" She whisper-yelled, eyes gleaming. "I didn't know you knew Warden Eden!"
Kiah blinked at her, still adjusting to the abrupt shift in energy. Even with her wild hair and a few bandages, Naya radiated life like she hadn't nearly died just days ago.
'I'm jealous.' Kiah thought bitterly.
"Warden? What's that?" she asked out loud.
Naya's grin faltered. Her head tilted slowly, like she didn't believe Kiah had just asked that question.
"What?" Kiah frowned.
"You really don't know anything, do you?" She muttered, half in awe, half in dismay. "You're like a child… a grumpy, clueless child. It's kind of cute, honestly."
Kiah scowled. "What are you talking about?"
"Warden Eden, obviously." Naya leaned closer, her voice dropping like she was revealing state secrets. "She's one of the most respected and feared officers in the organization. A total legend. She's only been here five years, but she's already evolved into a warden. They say she took down an entire degenerate nest alone as a vanguard."
Kiah raised a skeptical brow.
"Warden? Vanguard? What the hell are you talking about?"
"I'm serious! I'm just surprised she visited you regularly while you were unconscious, considering you're kind of an outcast," Kiah shot her a look, but she waved it off casually. "She's known for being scary and unapproachable. You must be quite close for such privileges."
Kiah didn't doubt that Eden had a certain level of power in the organization. She had seen her in action herself. She was also quite cold.
"I only met her like six days ago," she mumbled.
Naya gasped.
"You what? That's it? You must be very impressive to have a warden acting like your silent guardian."
"You still haven't told me what a warden is."
Naya opened her mouth, then closed it. With a dramatic sigh, she said,
"Never mind. You will find out sooner enough."
Kiah cocked a brow. What was the mystery all about? Was being a warden a special title?
But she didn't press further. Yet.
Instead, her eyes scanned the room. Blackie was still asleep. A flicker of yellow from the bed next to his told her that Yellow was probably resting, too.
Only two people were missing. Red and Brownie.
"Where is Brownie?" She asked.
"Anwyll?" Naya blinked, then glanced around as if she'd just realized it too. "I don't know. I haven't seen him since we arrived at the base."
"He didn't get treated?"
"If he did, it wasn't in this ward." Naya shrugged. "I'm kind of worried."
Kiah's brow scrunched up, a suspicion bubbling in her heart.
"What happened after I blacked out?"
Naya leaned back, thinking.
"Nothing much. The capsule landed at the station with Vanguards already waiting to receive us. They took the five of us to the base, but they left Red behind. Apparently, he failed the test. It was a nasty scene. He started yelling and tried to fight before they restrained him. A part of me is glad he didn't make it. He was cruel."
Kiah said nothing. The absence of Red made sense, but something didn't sit right. She glanced at the ceiling, her thoughts swirling.
Ten people were sent for the test. Six returned. And the moment they landed, someone was already labeled a failure.
How did the organization know he failed?
She didn't know what the test entailed exactly, but it must have had something to do with character, since only Red was eliminated. But there was not enough time to relay that news to the organization. They hadn't spoken to anyone. No debriefing. Nothing.
Unless… the organization was watching them during the test.
But how? Did they plant a mole?
She shook her head.
A mole wouldn't be totally reliable because they could have died during the test. And there really wasn't enough time to make a full report on everyone.
So what was it? Cameras? Maybe the whole Rustpoint was bugged.
Regardless, they had watched them somehow. The thought made her stomach twist. They had watched as they bled, screamed, and were being torn apart.
Not just tested, but observed, like rats in a maze.
Kiah wasn't very familiar with how things worked in this world, but this… this was morally wrong.
Sickening at its core.
"Did they tell us what the test actually was?" she asked.
Naya perked up.
"No. But we are getting answers at the briefing. I heard Sentinel Denvil will be speaking to us personally."
Denvil.
The name made Kiah's jaw tighten. She had a personal vendetta against him. He had tossed her into that bloody place with no time to prepare, like she was expendable. It was almost as if he wanted her dead.
Just thinking about him made her blood boil.
"What's a Sentinel?" she asked before she could stop herself.
Naya groaned and reached for her curtain.
"You're a lost cause." she said dramatically before yanking it shut.