I looked at him. "I was bewildered at the turret. Look at the bright side: If you hadn't body-slammed me, I'd be Swiss cheese," I said. He ran his hands through his hair.

"This is no joking matter, Raiyne. You could've died. I could've lost you. I don't-" He broke off with a sob. "I don't know what I'd do without you. I made it seven years of life without you, but my life changed as soon as I met you. Ten years after that, it took a drastic change, when I fell in love with you. And now...Now, we're dating, and I don't know what I'd do without you." His voice broke as he sobbed. "I know that in our line of work, it's best not to get too attached to one person, but that's a hard rule to abide by when someone's practically joined with you at the hip. Especially someone who is so amazingly beautiful." He whispered the last sentence, seemingly to himself. I looked down at the blanket covering me, smiling.

"Thank you, Hunter. It means so much to me," I said. He looked up at me, the corner of his mouth turned up. I reached my right hand up to remove the oxygen mask, since I could breathe fine now. I took a deep breath of pure air, not the stuff they suck into oxy tanks. That stuff tastes like metal. I hissed as I lay my arm down on the bed, pain shooting through my right shoulder. "That's new," I muttered, squeezing my eyes shut then opening them, blinking the pain away. Hunter was shaking his head, and I smiled at him.

"Any news from Ultimate?" I asked. He looked at me.

"Nothing so far. Celeste took the Book to her, and they're probably waiting for us." I nodded, sitting up. Hunter put a hand on my uninjured shoulder, and I lay back down. "I'll go get Sam, see if she'll clear you." I nodded again, and he left the room.

A few moments later, Sam walked in, Hunter on her heels. She checked my vitals like she had billions of times before, and cleared me. "Don't lift anything heavy for a while with your right arm, and don't do any running upstairs for a bit." I nodded.

"Gotcha," I stated, and she nodded briskly, turning to Hunter.

"She's free to go." He nodded, and we both walked out. I walked to the elevator, hitting the button for Ultimate's floor. Hunter stepped in, and we rode the elevator in silence. Stepping out, I found Celeste standing by Ultimate's desk, the Book on the desk. Ultimate looked at Hunter and I, nodding to us. I nodded back in greeting, and stood by the wall, leaning against it. Hunter stood behind me, placing a hand on my shoulder. I leaned back against his chest, and Ultimate started speaking.

"Thank you, all three of you, for retrieving the Book." We chorused 'thank yous' back to her, and she pulled the book closer to her. She opened the cover, and I watched carefully. "This book holds the secrets to the Artifacts," she stated. I nodded, feeling Hunter's chin on top of my head. I smiled, and Ultimate continued with her speech. "Secrets to the Artifacts, and you two." She looked at Hunter and I. Hunter folded his arms around me, and I watched Ultimate. She went back to looking through the book. She then closed it, holding it out to me. "You and Line might find it helpful to read the sections on your own Artifacts." I nodded, taking the book. I looked at her, and she cleared her throat. "You and Line also have another mission." I felt Hunter shift uncomfortably, and I looked for the mission folder. She passed us each one, and dismissed us.

I went back to my quarters, lying on my bed and opening the Book. This book contains words not to be read by mortals. Only those who have the mentioned Artifacts in this Book shall lay eyes upon the writings in this book...

↫--X--↬

I looked around the space. Dark, damp, and tiny. I was claustrophobic. This space was too tiny. I heard water drips somewhere farther away and felt air on my back. I arched my back, and the water stopped. Weird, I thought. That moment, a rush of water came at me, and I stopped it mere inches from my prone body.

"He iz veady, Herr."