Pulse.
"She's going into shock!"
"Hold her down! You there, get some bandages! Anything!"
"Her left lung's collapsed!"
"Come on! We need medical help! Are they coming?!"
"Where the hell was she in the evacuation? Didn't she hear the sirens?"
"There's always someone left in the buildings- they just don't hear it."
"Quickly! She's crashing! Her distal pulse is fading!"
Darkness is always supposed to be eliminated by the light.
"My baby! What, what happened! Why is she covered in blood?"
"Please! Get back! We can't move her- she was in then building during the attacks!"
"No! No! She couldn't have been, she knows to come when the siren goes!"
"Well, she didn't, did she! Pass the alcohol- I'm going to try bandage up her side."
"No… No…"
But what happens when the light isn't there?
Shadows danced wildly in the morning, tip-toeing around the rubble. A small crowd stood, shoulders slumped, around three figures. One a small girl, lying amidst the rubble. A once sweet face was mangled; gaping holes replaced cheeks and her skin soaked in crimson. Her side held a gash of fatal depth, blood pumping out from it at a solid pace. Arms hung limp, broken or striped of feeling. Her chest rose with each pathetic breath, and the times between were steadily growing in length. The mother had fallen to her knees, scraping them on the shards of glass, sobbing. Two men fiddled with the dying girl, trying vainly to resurrect her.
"Bandages! Aren't there anymore?! Come on people!'
"We're loosing her!"
A crash close by raised a few worried heads, and some people started whimpering. The Super Robot's foot had smashed into another empty building in its fight against some horrendous monster. But as it struggled with the beast, it loomed closer to the small group. The two men didn't hesitate. They had slowed in their efforts to help the girl; her chest no longer moved.
"We have to get everyone underground into the shelters!"
"What about my child!"
A glance is exchanged. The taller male nods.
"I'll take her."
Bending down, he slipped is blood-soaked arms under her cold body. Wondering who would tell the mother that the little girl was dead. Wondering why they hadn't beeen able to save her. As soon as he lifted the form, the crowd bolted, narrowly avoiding being crushed by a falling tower. The man's partner slows his pace to run beside him.
"Turns out the sirens weren't working in the structure she was in."
He indicated the dead girl with his hand.
"The mother was out shopping. Most of the occupants are…"
He silenced, staring at the girl. As they sped up, streams of blood swept away from her like gruesome ribbons, lashing both men. The terrified group came to a tunnel; entrance to the many underground shelters. Everyone ran in- pushing and stumbling. Yet they were all deathly quiet; as if they already knew the fate of the girl. The men halted at the entrance, letting the others streak ahead down the steps. Turning to face the battle scene behind them, the tall man clutched the dead child closer.
"Do we tell them?"
Meaning the Hyper Force. The companion shook his head, no.
"They need all the hope they can get."
He sighed, listening to the screech of metal, before facing the stairway.
"Are we to bring them down, crush our only defence for this damned city?"
Another crash, closer this time. They both flinched visibly, and the partner darted into the shelter. Yet still the tall man stood, holding his delicate bundle. The Hyper Force were the protectors, the good guys, yet… Her lifeless eyes stared up to the sky, dull and bloody. Yet the team often caused pain, destruction, and death. Was that the requirements of a hero? To go, annihilate and come back home victorious? They willing smashed the city at times, ignorant of the many lives held inside its walls.
But without them Shuggazzom was doomed to fall; they kept this place safe, they kept it alive. So what were a few lives? They gave the city hope.
Was it fair to crush that hope? A rock bounced off the unforgiving tarmac, only to crash into the wall beside the man. Was if fair to bring down your protector, willingly sacrificing hundreds more? Yet another boulder came unnervingly close.
No.
Taking one last look at the gigantic robot, he slipped into the darkened tunnels.
No. This accident was to be buried. Buried under harmless lies, like so many other accidents before it.
And the city would survive.
Author's Note;
Just a thought I had; what happens to all the people in Shuggazzom when the Hyper Force has to defend it- inside? They destroy so many buildings, some people must get injured.
Disclaimer:
I do not own, or pretend to own, Super Robot Monkey Team Hyper Force Go! I'm not getting any profit from this, and don't intend too.