You had a feeling of being weightless in the darkness, confused and disoriented. Memories flood back a sudden pain in your chest, the cold sensation of blood, and the shock of realizing you had been brutally attacked.

You blink again, trying to orient yourself, but the world is dim. Only fragments reach you ; urgent voices, muffled footsteps, the scrape of metal on the floor. The pain in your chest flares and fades in waves, a deep ache that bounds you to the floor.

But through the haze, you can see him. Luke Alvez, your colleague and close friend. His usually composed face creased in worry, his hand pressing down on your wound. His voice is calm, professional, but there’s an edge to it ; a desperation you rarely hear from him.

"Stay with me," he says, his eyes meeting yours. "Help is on the way."