USH'S MATRIX GAME 2006 FOURTH ASSIGNMENT (COMBAT)- 'The Real'

"Hey, just relax," Ares says, making sure that Mors doesn't try any sudden movements that might aggravate his condition. "You were partially skewered by a Sentinel, and we think you might've had a heart attack as well. Try to keep down. Burn got impaled, but he's alive. Ariadne, though..." Ares falls quiet, seating himself between Burn's and Mors' stations.

"If they do, we're dead," Melis says, looking off down the dark tunnels of the Real.

Melis will tend to San and Cloud, as Fire is doing for Burn and Mors. She has a Medicine skill of 6, if it helps any. I'm sure Finn is a decent medic as well.

What are their injuries, exactly?

"She didn't make it?" Mors asks, crestfallen. "It's happening again, isn't it? I'm losing another crew. This is only the beginning. And I might be next, right?"

"It's not like that at all," Ares says, frowning. "We're not dropping dead on you, Mors. Cut that out. We're already down enough as it is."

"Just relax it'll be ok"

San and Cloud have severe damage to multiple organs snd bone structure.

But their nervous systems and brains are intact.

They are going to live. They are awake, in fact, thouhg mostly immobile.

Melis tends to them until she is sure that she can leave them alone with them suddenly dying.

"Should we contact the Shez, Captain?" Melis asks.

Sounds like a good idea.

And rather a lot happens in the next few hours, as things are fixed, both mechancial and... people...

---

SOME HOURS LATER

Bright lights.

Cloud and San, you are feeling considerably better. You are off intensive care in the medical unit. Marduk is watching over you as you come into conscousness again.

"You're late," says Marduk.

"I could come up with several sarcastic responses but I just don't feel like it at this point..." San replies, testing to see if she can move at all. "What happened there at the end?"

"We've taken what you might call a bit of a tumble," says Marduk. "There may be some difficulties getting back but there is a slightly bigger problem."

"I don't really think I like the sound of that...this isn't enough of a disaster already, huh?"

"Believe me, it gets bigger. Sure you can take this?"

"Well, I'm going to have to find out eventually, and I think I'd rather know than be stuck here wondering."

"Very well...

"I am afraid those who we tried to save by not using the EMPs are all dying and... as far as we can tell will soon be dead. That's a small matter compared to the fact that apparently the extinction of the Human race has begun and we have only a short amount of time to do anything about it.

"Oh, and Dallas has ordered everyone back inside to try that. Including you two, when you were well enough to go in. It so happens we've stolen an Osprey."

"You're serious? They're all dying and all of humanity is about to be wiped out? I think the only way it could get worse than that is if you next said that another thousand sentinels was heading this way." San replies. She falls quiet for a moment before sighing. "Are we well enough?"

"Do you feel it? The others are waiting. Can't hold the plane forever."

"If they're waiting for us then I suppose we don't have much of a choice."

Are the others, including Melis, in the Matrix as we speak?

How are her broken bones doing? Even in the future, I doubt they can heal that fast. How do broken Real World bones transfer over to the Matrix?

I'm certainly wondering that myself, actually - what effect, if any, our Real World injuries will have on us in the Matrix.

"Quite a tumble..."Cloud says looking around the remains of the Percy. He'll wait to say anything else until after we know how hurt all this damage will affect us in the Matrix.