The one thing about being too cold is that, when you're badly hurt, and your crewmates are trying hard to get you to safety, and get you help, it's not so bad. One the cold numbs the pain a bit and two, it slows down your system, giving them more time. At least you know... you may just make it this time. -- Anon Guest
Cold... hurts. It aches the muscles and creeps into bones. Grinding joints along the way. Thing is... that doesn't quite hurt as much as -say- a close to fatal wound.
Humans can survive a lot of things that would kill a lot of cogniscents. Babies and children can survive drowning in icy water so long as they're resuscitated while they're still being warmed up. Adult Humans... have better odds if they're just cold. Not frozen. Just... too cold to shiver.
Which is, in itself, pretty close to dying.
Weirdly, it helps Humans survive. We're not dying until we're warm and dying.
I took a hit from the local wildlife, and my crew... acted accordingly. Patching up the rift in my livesuit with ductape and lowering the internal temperature to an aching chill. This let them carry me all the way to the dropship and the internal medbay. Which had what it needed to keep me alive until we all got back to the mothership and the extended medbay there.
When all else fails, there's always the stasis pod. Freeze me in time, instead of temperature. Well. Slow me really, really far down.
More time is good time, to be honest.
We never get enough time.
Jez finds the port to inject some of the good stuff and the pain I'm in ebbs a little bit. Enough for me to try and say something. I forgot what it was, and Jez couldn't understand it.
The world passed by in a set of blinks. Blink. The clouds jink from where they used to be. I moaned because they bumped my stretcher. Kae pats my shoulder. "Not far now. Stay with us."
Blink. The shade of the dropship. Tipped at an angle. Must be climbing the ramp. I'm looking at Jez who's telling me not to worry.
Blink. Inside the big container. Anaesthetic gas is filling the chamber and I can see the others through its misted window.
...I expected them to speed up like they were on fast forward or something...
Blink. It's the Doc! I try to say, "Hey, Doc," but my vocal chords don't work. I'm not sure my mouth is working either.
Doc sticks me in the arm with something and I am officially out for the count. Hello, how are you? Your bedside manner's shit, by the way.
Blackness and floating. I drift slowly down into a nice, soft, WARM bed. Oh sweet powers, they let me flakkin' thaw. I've gotta be on some quality stuff because I can't feel my feet or my hands and my head feels like it's going to float away.
Giit is sitting nearby and reading something. Not paying attention until something near me goes 'ping'. Gotta love the machine that goes 'ping'. I blink, and Giit got up. Watching me watching hir.
I slur, "Will I be able to play the piano any more?"
Giit sighs and rolls hir eyes. "You're gonna be just fine, you self-destructive maniac."
[Photo by Daniele Levis Pelusi on Unsplash]
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