Page 122 of Beyond Oblivion

“No shit,” I said, wiping at my face with the back of my hand, smearing dust and tears into a gritty mess. “A crane?”

“Or something,” she muttered, busy with her phone.

“You’d better be calling in a goddamn miracle.” I scanned the desert horizon, then back down to my brother. “You hear that?” I yelled. “Don’t go anywhere. Your girl is calling your buddy, Tony Stark!”

He shot a thumbs up. “Good idea. I’ll just hang out here for a while,” he called back.

“I’m sorry!” Camille called down.

He waved her away. “I knew I’d be fine. I’m too pretty to die like this.”

“You’re too dumb to die like this,” Liis muttered, a grin on her face. She looked to Trenton. “This is the product of a series of misfortunate connections. We’re not the Avengers. Not even close.”

“So, you really are just in advertising? You just got caught up in some crazy mess?” I asked.

“Just like you with Madison,” she said.

I frowned. “Well, that’s disappointing. I thought my brother was a legit superhero.”

Liis rolled her eyes. “He thinks so, too.”

She sat on her knees, trying her best to get comfortable.

“Are you okay now?” Camille asked. “No more contractions?”

Liis shook her head no, her phone pressed firmly to her ear. After a few moments, she blinked once someone answered the other side of the call.

“Val, it’s Liis. I need a high-angle rescue team and first responders dispatched to my location. Yes, we’re approximately forty minutes east of Chinle, probably a mile off the road. Thomas has fallen…” she trailed off, looking down, “forty feet onto a shockingly narrow ledge.”

“Who needs Iron Man when we’ve got an advertising exec?” I said, stunned at her command of technical jargon.

She ignored me and continued, “He’s conscious but hurt, with potential broken bones and internal injuries.”

“Internal injuries?” I asked.

Liis held up her index finger, listening.

“That doesn’t sound good,” I said to Camille.

Concern shadowed her face. “He’ll be fine. He’s tough.”

Liis continued, “We don’t have the equipment to extract him, and the terrain is unstable. Send a med team and full rescue gear, possible med evac. I’ll provide further details once they’re en route. Priority response, Val—time is critical. We’re burning daylight here.”

She ended the call, glancing back down to Thomas, holding out her phone. “Ordered you a pizza. Thirty minutes or less!”

Thomas gave her a thumbs up again. She didn’t look as confident as before. “He’s getting quiet.”

“How are you getting signal out here?” I asked.

She shook her phone. “Avengers, remember?”

“Will it really be thirty minutes?” Camille asked.

“No, but he knows that,” she said. “We need to watch each other for signs of shock—cold or clammy skin, rapid breathing, dizziness, or confusion. If you notice symptoms, speak up. We’ll need to act fast. This heat isn’t doing us any favors, and stress makes it worse.”

“What if Tommy goes into shock?” I asked.

“They’ll send a quick response team,” Liis said with a reassuring smile.

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