Rise of a Valkyrie

Part 45

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As they climbed the next hill, they heard a sharp scream and raced up a ridge to investigate. Rose was sitting against a mound, white as a sheet, vomit and blood covering her t-shirt. Her leg was grotesquely inflated and bent at an odd angle.

Thandi stood over her, looking deeply shaken. "Thank God!" she said as Kayla and Christie ran up. "I'm losing my mind! She won't let me help."

"Isn't she healing?" Kayla asked. "What happened?"

"She came down on a big rock," Thandi explained. "Completely shattered her leg. I don't know if this is beyond the nanite's capacity to heal, but it isn't getting better."

"It's feeling okay," gasped Rose faintly.

Thandi cradled her head in her hands. "Rose, you crazy... She won't let me carry her. Says she can walk by herself. Oh Lord, she's going to kill herself like this."

"I know where my limits are, Thandi, and I have a little way to go yet," said Rose, grimacing as she forced out each word.

Kayla looked down at the wretched young woman. Rose had a lot more than a broken leg to get past before she was going anywhere.

"There is a fine line between hard-ass and dumb-ass, Rose, and it looks to me like you just jumped across it," she said.

"You girls carry on," Rose said. "I'll catch up—No!" she yelled as Thandi reached down to try to pick her up.

Kayla sat down next to her old rival. "What's going on?"

Rose scowled. "I'm fine. I can do this. The point—"

"The point is," Kayla said flatly, "Rose Djallen is worth nothing if she isn't out in front taking the universe's first prize. Billionaire heiress, dancer, elite soldier? Right?"

Rose shook her head. "Just go."

Kayla shrugged. "Nope. We're going to wait out here with you until you figure it out or we all die."

Rose didn't respond.

"As a potential plan B," Thandi began, cautiously, "we could knock her unconscious and carry—what?" She stopped as the others scowled at her. "Oh, okay. Dying of thirst over several days is the plan."

"When I arrived in Rackeye," Kayla said, "I had heard all the stories about Helvets, and I was convinced I would never meet a girl I could respect."

"That's ridiculous," Rose replied.

"Yeah, I was wrong," Kayla said. "I met you. At first, I thought you were the most awesome person in the galaxy. Then you betrayed me."

Rose looked down. "I'm sorry. I know it shouldn't have happened like that, but..."

"What? Can't risk your reputation? Can't upset the wrong people?"

"Do you have any idea what it's like? What those people can do to you? To your life and your future? You act like society should be so easy."

Kayla nodded. "Well, now it is that easy because you don't exist in that world anymore. You are a Valkyrie. We are your life now and you need to figure that out—but no rush. We'll wait, won't we, girls?"

"It would be nice to stop and enjoy the scenery," Christie said as she sat cross-legged.

Thandi gave Kayla a look of disbelief, but also dropped onto the grass.

Rose looked down at her leg and her stained t-shirt. She seemed to sag under the weight of the decision. "What happened to pushing your limits every day?" she asked.