Direct pressure, surgery. Plasma. IVs that she didn’t have. Painkillers. Raise the legs. Treat for shock. Airway, breathing, circulation. Stabilize. Operate.

All of it useless. She didn’t have the tools. All of Doctor Mahfouz’s teachings were useless.

Mouse reached up and touched her face. “How come I always got to do the rescuing around here?” he whispered.

Mahlia clutched him to her. “I’m so sorry.” Tears ran down her cheeks. “I’m so, so sorry.”

Mouse tried to talk. Coughed. “Can’t believe you followed me.”

“I had to.”

“No.” He shook his head, smiling tiredly. “That’s how I do.” He trailed his fingers through her tears, pushed at her chin, joking like he always had. “You’re supposed to be the smart one.” He coughed again, and blood stained his lips. He grunted in pain. “Should’ve listened to you, huh?”

A shell came down, shaking the building.

“I’m going to get you out,” Mahlia said.

“If you knew what I done, you wouldn’t say that.”

“I don’t care what you done. I’m getting you out of here.” She tried to rise, but Mouse reached up and pulled her close, surprisingly strong. Holding on to her like a vise as he stared into her eyes.

“You got to get out,” he whispered fiercely. “Get out and don’t ever come back.” His expression was fiercer than she’d ever seen. “You got to promise me not to die,” he said, and then he smiled at her, and his breath went out, leaving Mahlia clutching an empty body.

Tool crouched down beside her. “It’s time to leave. Long past time.”

Mahlia didn’t look up. She just held Mouse. “He’s dead.”

The half-man was silent for a moment. “I lost all of my pack as well. Remember him. Tell his story.”

“That’s not much.”

“It’s nothing. It’s what we have.”

The soldier sergeant, the one called Ocho, limped over. Mahlia could feel him looking down on her. “Get up, girl. You don’t get up, you die.”

“What do you care?” she said. “You’re the one who was trying to kill me.”

The soldier gave an exasperated sigh. “And now I’m the one that’s trying to save your maggot ass.”

The building rocked with another explosion. More followed. The ceiling rattled as shells crashed down in quick succession. Ocho and Tool looked up at the ceiling.

“Damn,” Ocho said. “That’s starting to sound serious.”

“The Army of God will be preparing an assault,” Tool said.

Ocho laughed at that, his expression grim as he scanned the command center. “They don’t need to bother. It looks like you just about killed every single one of the command staff. They can roll in anytime and we won’t know what hit us.”

Tool growled agreement. “The UPF is headless. I left no commanding officers.”