Rudo ran through the rubble, jaw clenched, his boots kicking up dust behind him as he dodged structural debris and still-warm corpses. He'd arrived late. Too late.

The signal had been weak… distorted by desert interference. He had destroyed the last enemies with blind fury, his heart pounding in his chest like a broken drum. Not because they were strong. But because she didn't respond.

And then he saw her.

Her silhouette was slumped against a pile of smoking scrap metal. Her hair was stained with dirt and blood, plastered to her pale skin. Her black glove was torn and burned.

But the worst part was her abdomen.

Blood. A lot of it.

—"No, no, no…!" Rudo fell to his knees beside her, dropping his Gear to the ground as his hands trembled. He touched her gently, too scared to move her any more than necessary.

He gritted his teeth tightly as he pressed against the wound in her side, trying to stop the bleeding. —"Hold on... I'm going to get you out of here. I don't care if I have to carry you!"