Aftermath

The sterile scent of antiseptic filled the military medical base. The hum of machines. The quiet murmurs of nurses moving between the wounded.

Rina sat on the edge of a cot, arms resting on her knees, staring at the tiled floor.

She felt like shit.

Not from injuries she barely had a scratch. But from failure. From knowing she could've ended this tonight but chose not to.

Across the room, Briggs was getting his arm bandaged. He glanced at her. "You look like hell."

Rina exhaled through her nose. "Feel like it."

Briggs sighed. "Look, Captain. You did what you could. We're alive. That's gotta count for something."

Rina didn't reply.

She wasn't sure it did.