The white mask stayed motionless, head tilted slightly. Its smooth surface reflected the distant silhouette of the newcomer.
"Really…" the masked man murmured at last, his voice carrying across the distance effortlessly. "This day is just completely shot."
At the far end of the crater, Elias Mercer slowly pulled one hand from his pocket and rubbed the back of his neck. His usually sleepy gaze was flat, almost bored.
"No kidding," he replied, voice carried by the same strange resonance. "I thought I'd get to head home after the big boom, crash on the couch with some dumb show and instant noodles. Instead I'm stuck in a crater with a half-naked guy and some mime-masked weirdo."
The masked man scratched his cheek—or at least where a cheek would have been.
"Your priorities seem… trivial."
"Your problems seem annoying. We're even."
While this short exchange went on, Borin—still floating in the air, armless stumps bleeding heavily—tried desperately to make a sound.
'Talk. Damn it, talk.'
Nothing. Not even a breath.
'Why won't anything come out?!'
His eyes darted between the masked man and Elias.
The masked man sighed.
"You know what's waiting for me if I go back now?" He raised a hand, counting on his fingers. "A minimum three-hour debrief. Forms in quintuplicate. A disciplinary hearing. And probably a six-month reassignment to some shithole sector."
Elias shrugged. "Forms I know. My vice-captain shoves a stack this high at me every morning." He spread his hands about a foot apart. "I sign them without reading. Drives her insane."
"Lucky you." The masked man lowered his hand. "I have to read everything." He jabbed an accusing finger toward Borin. "And guess what? This idiot ruined everything by going full kamikaze."
"Yeah, the explosion," Elias said, scratching his chin. "Effective, I'll give him that. But kinda showy."
"Too effective! We calculated at least an hour of Rift activity." He threw his arms up. "He shut the damn thing in thirty-eight minutes! Thirty-eight!"
Elias nodded. "Unpredictable stuff sucks."
"Exactly!"
Borin, still hovering, eyes bulging, felt his mind reeling between horror and total disbelief.
'THEY'RE CHATTING WHILE I'M BLEEDING OUT LIKE A STUCK PIG! WHAT THE HELL IS THIS SITUATION?!'
He tried to scream again. His throat tightened. Nothing.
The masked man crossed his arms. "And you're making it even worse. I was just supposed to punish the troublemaker, grab some data, and slip out quietly. But no. Another captain had to show up with…" He paused, tilting his head. "By the way, how did you even detect me in the first place? What's your trick?"
"Trade secret."
"Of course." The masked man scratched the back of his head. "Now I've got two witnesses instead of one. You realize the extra paperwork?"
Elias grimaced. "Yeah. I'm in for it too. I left my post without a word. My vice-captain's gonna kill me before the brass even get a chance." He sighed deeply. "She'll give me a two-hour lecture. Minimum. With charts and stats on all my regulation breaches."
"Your vice-captain sounds… thorough."
"You have no idea." Elias rolled his eyes. "The other day she wrote a seven-page report on why I shouldn't sleep during briefings. Seven pages. With footnotes."
The masked man let out a small laugh. "At least you get to sleep during briefings. If I close my eyes for even a second during a report…" He drew a finger across his throat.
"Harsh."
"No kidding."
Meanwhile, voiceless, Borin's eyes were bloodshot.
'They're actually talking?!'
A silence settled.
The masked man broke it first. "Alright." His tone turned serious again. "As fun as this chat is, I still have a job to finish." He glanced at Borin. "I'll start with… him."
Elias pulled his other hand from his pocket. "Yeah, figured we'd get here."
"You could just walk away. Turn around. Pretend you saw nothing." The masked man tilted his head. "I'll even let you come up with a believable excuse. 'Captain Borin vanished in the explosion.' Plausible, right?"
"Tempting." Elias rolled his shoulders. "Really tempting. But there's a catch."
"What?"
"If Borin dies, they'll make me fill out forms." He visibly shuddered. "Forms I don't even know. The kind in triplicate with tiny boxes and trick questions."
The masked man seemed to consider it. "Yeah, that does suck."
"So…" Elias cracked his knuckles. "Better to bring him back alive. Less paperwork for everyone."
"Except me."
"Yeah. Sorry about that."
The masked man sighed again. "Really, really, really a shitty day."
Then he stepped toward Borin.
"Fine, let's wrap this up quick. I'll just kill you both. Cleanly."
He took another step.
Distance folded again. One instant he was over there; the next he was less than three meters from Borin, hand outstretched, slender fingers aimed at the captain's heart.
His fingers touched…
…empty air.
They met only warm air and floating ash.
Borin was gone.
The masked man left his hand hanging, then turned his head slowly, almost mechanically.
Ten meters to his right, Elias Mercer now stood, one shoulder sagging slightly under the weight. Borin was slung over it, stumps pressed against Elias's coat, which was already staining red. Elias's free hand held the captain in place by a strap on his tattered armor.
"Aaaah… Fucking… SHIT!"
Borin's voice came back all at once—raw, saturated with pain so primal it was almost animal.
"Yeah, yeah," Elias muttered without looking at him, eyes locked on the masked man. "You're leaking everywhere. You're in rough shape, man."
"What… what the hell is this, Mercer?"
"A mess. You said it. Shut up and save your breath."
Elias started to add something, but his eyes narrowed. Without turning his head, he snapped a lightning-fast sideways kick.
BOOM.
The air exploded where his heel stopped. A circular shockwave spread, cracking the glassy ground. Nothing visible was there, but the impact had met solid resistance.
At the spot where Borin had been floating seconds earlier, the masked man turned his head toward the sound. He hadn't moved from there.
"Hmm," the masked man said, white mask swiveling toward Elias. "You can see it?"