The Pathfinder is down.

SAM's modulated voice spoke through his head set, and both Drack and Jaal froze to look at each other. Ryder had gone on ahead as usual, charging the snipers before they could line up their shots.

"You take care of these, I'll go get her," the krogan said as he kicked a wraith towards the alien. Jaal nodded, adjusting his grip on his gun before emptying a few rounds into the creature's skull.

Drack didn't take his time finding the kid. He fired his shotgun as he went and headbutted anything that got too close for bullets to deal with. He found her on a gangway, only a few feet from the Nomad, dangling dangerously close to the edge of the long drop. Within moments, he had her in his arms, barreling his way through the remaining kett until he managed to pop open the hatch on the blasted vehicle and swing her up into the passenger seat. He climbed in on the other side, taking a minute to shift the seat back so he could reach the pedals before jumping over the gangway and landing on a squad of Chosen that were blocking Jaal.

" Get in" , he growled over the comms, and waited until he heard the latch slam shut behind Jaal before using the thrusters to get as far away as they could. It was only until they had gone several miles without hearing even a gunshot that he dared to stop. No sooner did his foot leave the brake than he was pulling Ryder into the back of the vehicle, pulling off her helmet and tearing at her armor to get to the soft flesh beneath. The inside of her helmet stank of blood, and his fingers found their way to the back of her head, finding a large gash and warm liquid spilling over his ungloved hands.

"Call for extraction. Now! " he ordered, smearing medigel on the back of Ryder's head, watching her hair clump to the oozing wound. Behind him, he heard Jaal's panicked voice calling the Tempest.

"Lexi here, we're on our way, eta about five minutes. How is the Pathfinder?"

"She's losing a lot of blood, and won't wake up," Jaal replied, looking over the seats to where Ryder lay on the Nomad floor.

"Did you administer medigel to the injury?"

"Of course I did, I wasn't born yesterday. Just get your asses out here, we'll hold on," Drack snapped. His hands busied themselves removing the rest of Ryder's armor and her undersuit, leaving her in her shorts and tank top. Her flesh was mottled with bruises, shining sickly purple on her sweat-soaked skin.

It felt like hours before the Tempest finally showed. Jaal guided the Nomad into the hull while Drack gathered the kid up and carried her out into the ship, where Lexi was waiting with a stretcher and oxygen mask. He laid her down as gently as he was able, fingers lingering only a second on her head before he lowered it to the padded surface as well. The minute she was out of his grip, Lexi carted her off to the medbay, wheels screeching as she went. A cold dread enveloped the krogan, and he found himself sauntering down the hall after the asari.

Lexi was reading stats into her omnitool, her voice grave and hands quick as she scanned over Ryder's still form, watching the hologram of her skeleton pop up on one of the machines to her left, outlining fractures and other concerning injuries. Drack was no doctor, but he could tell by the look on the asari's face that something wasn't right.

"What is it?"

"Her vitals are off the charts," Lexi replied as she gathered supplies from her cabinets, "If you're going to stand there, make yourself useful. Elevate her feet, and keep this pressed to the back of her head."

She handed him a handful of white gauze, then went back to her rummaging. Not one needing clarification, Drack used one arm to hoist up Ryder's legs and shove a pillow under her knees, and another to turn her head and press the bandages against her wound. The blood was flowing considerably slower now, the more superficial parts of the gash having closed with the medigel.

"What happened out there? SAM?"

"I believe the majority of Ryder's wounds came from an Anointed she didn't see, Dr. T'perro, though her head wound seems to fit the trajectory of a sharpshooter more," the AI replied.

"How the hell did she miss an Anointed?" Drack demanded.

"She was busy charging another one before it could fire up its gun, it would seem."

Drack shook his head at the kid, pressing the gauze harder against the wound in an effort to save any brains she had left.

"Damn kid, even krogan aren't that stupid."

After two hours of ordering Drack about and then one hour of him standing outside the medbay door while Lexi fixed wounds that demanded Ryder be unclothed, the lock finally blinked green before opening to allow the krogan inside.

He found the doctor cleaning up a mess of bloodied bandages and supplies, dropping them down the shoot to the garbage airlock.

"She's had a rough go of it, I wouldn't be surprised if she is out for a few hours yet. Her head took quite a beating, I had to give her forty stitches just to get the flesh to hold together long enough for medigel to adhere. She'll be okay, but she won't be out in the field for at least a week, more if that leg doesn't heal right."

"Thanks doc, I'll be sure to tell her. Why don't you get some rest?"

Lexi pursed her lips in thought before nodding, her eyes softening as they landed on Ryder. She'd put a medical gown on the scrawny human, and tucked a blanket around her feet and abdomen.

"I'll do that. Have SAM call if you need anything or if she wakes up," she ordered finally. Drack nodded, pulling up a pathetically tiny stool to lounge beside the bed. He heard the doors close and lock behind him, and found himself grateful they wouldn't be disturbed.

"SAM?" he said after a while, his hand creeping towards the bed to rest on Ryder's upper arm.

"Yes?"

"Thank you," Drack grumbled.

"You're welcome," SAM returned cordially.

It wasn't much, but Drack knew he was in trouble now, even more so than when he first felt affection for the kid. Because now?

Now he was starting to like that damned AI.