The computer displayed raw data in alien script. “He is leaving,” Rick said.
“Clarify. You can monitor from here. To watch requires a picture of what is happening, like the teaching computer downstairs does.” Max said.
“Understood. Monitor,” Rick repeated. “I can monitor from here. He is leaving. Quickly.”
Max snorted. He didn’t doubt the asshole was booking it. “I think I need to sit down,” Max said. He wanted to get to the couch, but his legs were so unstable that he ended up dropping to the floor. He landed with a thud hard enough to make his teeth clack.
“Max!” James said.
Rick curled his walking tentacle so he was at eye level with Max. “Query. Define the wrong.”
Max laughed, and even he could tell there was a touch of hysteria in it. Okay, more than a touch. He pulled at James’s tentacle. “Get James to the water.”
“No,” James said immediately. “Max damaged.”
Rick touched Max’s arm. Max hissed in pain as a blister burst, sending clear fluid running over his skin. As he’d expected, the burns had gotten a lot worse, and in the crease of his elbows, the skin had broken. Small trails of dried blood ran up his arms. That had happened when he’d been climbing a ladder to get out of an access shaft.
Max should have crossed the storage area and used the door, but the mass of body parts and fluids left behind by aliens four and five had made him avoid the area. He didn’t know if he could get sick from contact with alien viscera, but wading through it had seemed unsanitary if not downright dangerous, with his skin damaged. He was going to be more susceptible to infection for a while.
“Query. Size and... of damage.”
Max mentally filled in the gap left by the translator as “seriousness” or maybe “nature.” He closed his eyes before the black dots swimming in his vision made him more nauseated. “Skin is largest organ. The burn...” the burn was fucking serious. The lower half of both arms was blistered and painful, and the swelling had just started. It would get worse. And then there was the pain low in his abdomen where that asshole had kicked him. Max didn’t regret killing that one, not even a little.
“I’m damaged. I need to rest. I need to drink water.” The thought of putting anything into his stomach made it roil. Now that the adrenaline was fading, Max felt every injury. He carefully set the weapon to one side without ever opening his eyes.
James sang, and out of the entire belchy, low melody, the only words that came through were “fix,” “father” and “Max.”
Max opened his eyes and gasped as James’s largest eye was millimeters from his nose. That little jolt gave him the energy to reach for the wall. “I think I need to go to the medical facility,” Max said. He doubted Rick had much that could help, not when all they could do for Xander was hold him and pray. But hopefully the medical room would be sterile. The largest danger now would be infection.
When Max pushed himself to his feet, his right knee failed. He would have faceplanted, but Rick caught him with a dozen tentacles, at least three of which curled around Max’s arms. Max cried out in pain, and Rick loosened his hold. However, he didn’t let go. He held Max’s waist and pulled his back tight up against his head, and then he moved fast.
Max’s legs dangled inches above the floor, and he felt a little like a puppy that had peed and whose owner had grabbed it under the elbows before rushing it outside, the whole time holding it out in front. However, compared to something like a fireman’s hold, he was almost not in pain. The tentacles around his bruised middle didn’t feel great, but at least Rick wasn’t touching his arms.
“Wait. James?” Max looked around. James had vanished, and Max didn’t want Rick to accidentally step on the little guy. However, Rick rushed him out into the corridor too fast for Max to see where James had gone. “You have to get James to water,” Max reminded Rick. The grunting noise he got back wasn’t comforting, but Rick loved his offspring. Max assumed he wouldn’t do something stupid like forgetting to put them back in the water. “Oh, Xander and Kohei are in the filter room. They need help getting back up to the pool.”
Rick continued to ignore him, and Max sighed. He wasn’t strong enough to fight his way free of Rick’s tentacles, that was for sure. They turned a corner and headed down the corridor that led to the medical room. At least they weren’t taking the hallway where Max had left two of the bodies. Max had gotten good at seeing the silver lining.
