Shutdown (Glitch)

that it was all over, the exhaustion was getting the better of me. My legs gave out, and Adrien only barely caught me before I hit the ground.
    He spoke into his arm com. “Ginni, have you found Jilia yet?”
    Ginni’s voice responded. “Yes, in one of the cells on sublevel four. Rand is melting the door open as we speak.”
    “Get her to the top of the stairs. Zoe’s in bad shape. Xona, Juan, see if you can find an infirmary or anything that might have some epi so she can sleep safely.”
    Adrien swept me up in his arms and started to head back up the stairs. I looked over his shoulder and waved at Markan to follow us. We threaded our way slowly through all the still blissed-out Regulators and continued up the stairs.
    Pain radiated through my body with each jarring step. I could feel myself on the edge of consciousness.
    “Adrien.” My voice must have radiated my fear, because he started going faster. And then, right when I was sure I couldn’t handle another step, sure I was going to pass out from exhaustion and pain, we stopped and came into the larger open space of the ground floor.
    When we got there, Jilia was waiting. She immediately rushed forward. Adrien laid me on the ground, gently maneuvering me to my side and pulling away the bandage so Jilia could see my back wound. Then her calm, cool hands were on me.
    I winced and let out a small yelp. Her touch stung at first, but then the pain lessened and lessened, until I could barely feel it at all. Adrien eased me onto my now-healed back and rested my head in his lap. Jilia moved on to my burned thigh, then to my broken arm, knitting the bone back together, and finally to the wound on my forehead. I sagged back against Adrien once she was finished, the pain only a dull soreness.
    He and Jilia stripped off my dirty, bloody clothes, and helped me into a clean tunic Jilia had brought from the prisoner’s quarters. I was too exhausted to be embarrassed. Once I was changed, Adrien cradled me against him.
    I heard other footsteps come into the room, but couldn’t stop staring up at Adrien’s face. It all still felt surreal, like a dream. He looked at the others who’d come in. “Did you find any epi?”
    I finally dragged my gaze over where he was looking.
    “No,” Xona said, “but we found something better.” Rand, standing beside her, held up a silver box. “Tyryn was in the cell beside Jilia, and he said he thought the Regs had brought all the gear from their crashed pod back when they took them prisoner. We broke into storage and found it all. Including one med container in perfect condition.”
    Adrien leapt up and within moments they’d set it up. Xona helped me stand up and get me situated in the box.
    “There’s so much to tell you all,” I mumbled tiredly.
    “It can wait,” Adrien said firmly.
    “But—”
    He took my face in both his hands and leaned down to plant the gentlest kiss on my lips. “You are worn-out and broken and battered, and I can see you’re about to pass out any second now. So do it someplace safe, here in the med container.” He planted another whisper-soft kiss before pulling back. “I love you, Zoe. Now go to sleep.”
    He clicked the lid closed and, in spite of myself, I settled back onto the inflated pillow. I made sure to stay awake long enough for the vacuum process to finish clearing all the allergens out of the space and start pumping in fresh oxygen, but within a few breaths after the beep signaled the air was clear, I was fast asleep.

 
    Chapter 27
    I SHIFTED, SLOWLY WAKING UP and blinking my eyes blearily at the insistent knocking on the top of my sleep pod. Then I remembered where I was and all that had happened. My eyes snapped open. I poured my telek inward to control my mast cells, then popped open the top lid of the container. Adrien was there, reaching out a hand to help me stand. I was sore and stiff, but overall felt remarkably better.
    “What is it?” I asked. “What’s going on?”
    “Everything’s fine,” Adrien reassured me as I stepped out of the container. “But we need to decide what to do next.”
    I looked around. When I’d gone to sleep, the central room had been littered with Reg bodies. Now it was clear.
    “How long was I asleep?” I turned to Adrien with a frown.
    “Twenty-four hours. Come on, everyone’s in the dining area.” I followed him as he led me across the sleek black floor and down one of the hallways.
    “What did you do with all the Regs?” I asked,