~

Zoë pulled herself slowly up the rocky hillside, using her uninjured arm to heave herself over the top of the incline so she could peer down into the deep crevice on the other side. She squinted into the darkness, looking to make out any forms that were hidden below.

She could just make out a hint of yellow that seemed more vibrant then any color the environment would provide, so she withdrew her last glow stick and used her teeth to crack it, mixing the chemicals so that it gave off a soft yellow light. She reached out and dropped it into the abyss and watched as Jayne’s prone body came into view.

Using the small increase in light to survey the crevice, she searched for a way down or and alternate path to reach the mercenary. She quirked a small relieved smile when she saw his hand reach out and cover up the light.

His voice was so low she only heard it because of the stillness around them. “Gorram it woman, ya tryin to let everyone on this moon know where I am?”

“Just myself,” she said in response to his growl. She knew that the risk was in fact hers and not his. Since their enemy had shot him and tossed him into this crevice like so much garbage, it was likely they already knew where he was. Zoë threw up a silent thank you to whatever forces saw to such things that the mercenary was still alive. Backing away from the edge, Zoë looked carefully around. She had seen an access point at the southern tip of the crevice, and with her left arm next to useless she would have to see if she could gain entry that way. Should she fall and become further injured she wouldn’t be able to help anyone.

She maneuvered her way down the slope, sliding several times in the loose gravel.

When she reached the bottom she sank into the shadows the hill and rocks provided, and made her way south. In the darkness she used her fingers to aid her eyes, searching for anything that might be an access point to the crevice Jayne had been abandoned in. After several long moments her finger tips sank into a sand filled c