Ultima Ratio

Chapter 71: Endless Possibilities

Part Five: Ultra Vires

Akira sat on the plane's deck, huddled alongside some boxes at the aft end of the cabin. As recent events swirled recklessly within her mind, the only thing keeping her grounded was the low humming of the aircraft and the gentle rumbling it sent through her bones.

It had been hours since they left—abandoned—the Crusader, and Akira was still struggling to process what happened. Not only her squad, but Makana, Izzy, and even Sam had left their posts to follow through with her thoughtless decision. With the exception of Izzy, the rest of them were military, and Akira had turned them into deserters. Because of her, their lives were ruined forever.

"So I got round and square," Sam said as he approached her, holding out two bread options in his hands. "Which one do you want?"

Akira stared at his hands for a few seconds before realizing she was expected to make a decision. Since her left arm was easier to move, that was the one she lifted, pointing to Sam's closer hand.

"Round it is. Excellent choice."

After Sam shoved the food into Akira's limp fingers, he returned to his seat next to her, the two of them squeezed tightly between the crates and hull.

Akira picked slowly at the roll, first breaking off a large chunk before tearing it into smaller ones. Eventually, her fingers began to move on their own, and Akira's mind returned to evaluating the mess she created.

"Akira," Sam said, pulling her from her ruminations.

Akira automatically stuffed a sliver of starch into her mouth. The texture felt disgusting against her tongue, but she continued to chew on the morsel like it was a piece of gum.

"Maybe...a juice pack?" Sam procured a silver pouch from one of his jacket pockets. "I don't know what flavor it is—they don't have the fun drawings on them like when we were kids—but you can't really go wrong with any of them."

Akira subtly shook her head. The idea of artificially flavored sugar liquid made her stomach shift, and she had to stop chewing on the remaining bread crumbs in her mouth just thinking about it.

Sam stuck around for a few more minutes before getting back to his feet, muttering some excuse that involved Jivan as he headed up forward.

And at last, Akira was alone.

She must have fallen asleep at some point because she woke up to find herself leaning against an all too familiar shoulder.

"Drink this," Makana ordered, holding an open water bottle in Akira's face. "Or Elodie will have to put an IV in you."

At the thought of troubling the group even further by using their time and supplies, Akira obeyed, grasping the bottle with shaky hands and forcing herself to take slow and steady gulps.

"For the record, I hate doing this," Makana continued once Akira managed to drain half the bottle. "Using your guilt to make you do things."

Akira squeezed the bottle, but her weak fingers didn't do much damage.

She hadn't realized what Makana had been doing, and the knowledge only served to remind Akira of all the instances she had been unknowingly manipulated in the past. For years, she was merely a follower, not a leader. Yet here she was leading people she cared about down a road to failure.

The bottle fell from her fingertips, but she couldn't see where it went through her blurring vision.

"Akira." Makana's voice was muffled and distant. "Breathe, Akira. Breathe."

When Akira did, her tight gasps made her chest ache. But Makana had ordered her to breathe, so she continued, pushing through the sharp, heavy pain. When Makana retrieved the dropped drink and pressed it against Akira's trembling fingers, Akira obediently held on and automatically took another sip.