Poppy didn't say anything, but she nodded and walked out of the elevator. "He's a little moody for someone who is supposed to be negotiating peace, isn't he?" she said to Francis, watching the ambassador rejoice.
"The guy is weird, so I've heard, but he is good at his job. I can't complain." Francis watched the ambassador, crossing his arms. The man calmed down and walked over to them, a smile on his face. "I'm glad I'm not dead. Thank you, both."
"We're glad you're alive too," Poppy said, shifting her weight. She scanned the skies, her gaze shifting to any movement.
"Y'know, I was actually getting pretty nervous." Francis smiled, looking out into the distance. After a moment, the ground shook, presumably from the grenade going off. At the same time, Francis collapsed. The reason was unknown until it was seen that the ambassador was holding the gun to where he was standing. He pointed it to Poppy.
Poppy screamed and immediately knelt down besides Francis. "What did you do?" she asked, turning to the ambassador.
The ambassador chuckled. "Well, isn't that obvious? I shot him with the weapon he gave me, because while I was here I learned that this cults way of thinking was, y'know, smart. Clever. And after what he did with that grenade? Well, he deserved it." He grinned. "If you tell anyone it's me, then I'll get arrested, and you'll be the reason a war began. So I suggest you keep your mouth shut." He tossed the gun over side. Francis was unmoving, and his nose was starting to bleed.
Poppy turned back to Francis and felt his pulse. "Come on Francis," she muttered, looking for damage that she could fix. She took her pack off her back and pulled out her gloves. (Has he had an electric shock or has he been shot by a bullet?)
(Electric shocks. Around 100 milliamps seems reasonable in this case.) There was a pulse, but it was faint. His muscles were tense, and there was an occasional twitch. The ambassador spoke. "When they arrive, you're going to tell them there was a problem, and we had a run-in with a cult member."
She ignored the ambassador and put on one glove. She took off her trench coat and cushioned Francis' head. "Stay with me, okay?" she said, hoping he could hear her. "Stay with me." She began to work, checking for other injuries and fractures. She checked his heartbeat repeatedly, and tending to all that she could.
In the distance, the blades of a helicopter could be heard. The other significant injuries were found, just bruises here and there, and a deep purple mark where the gun had shot between his shoulder blades. His heartbeat was slowly getting stronger.
She gave him a shot from a syringe to stabilize his heartbeat. She kept talking to him in a low voice, hoping that it would give him some form of consciousness. "You're going to be alright, okay?" she whispered. "I'm not going to let you die here." She kept working, pinching various pressure points on his body to release the tension, barely registering the helicopter's arrival.
The ambassador waved his arms frantically. The helicopter whir got louder, and soon the air was flying around, kicking up dirt.
The door swung open, and a woman jumped out, holding her hat to her head. "What happened here? Nevermind, spare me the details. We need to get out of here. You get that side, I'll get this side." The ambassador got in, and waited.
Poppy was silent as she took her position. On the count of three, they lifted him and took him into the helicopter. They placed him in one of the seats, and Poppy sat next to him, her brow drawn in a tight worried line.
To Poppy, it wasn't even a decision. "The ambassador shot Francis," she said bluntly, checking Francis' pulse frequently. "He's sided with the Caedis, and he told me that a war would break out if I told anyone. I guess those long weeks of imprisonment convinced him of their greatness. He cannot be allowed to go to that peace meeting. He would do more harm than good."
The ambassador laughed. "That is the most ridiculous thing I've heard! The attack must have made you hysterical. Perhaps trauma?" The woman raised an eyebrow. "Hmm. Are you sure? Why would an ambassador do that?"
"He said that it made sense to him. Their whole... legacy. Francis threw a bomb on the ground floor of their headquarters, and the ambassador said that he got what he deserved right after he shot him. If you'll look," she pulled down Francis' shirt collar, revealing where the gun hit him. "You'll see that the attack on Francis was done by his own weapon, not by anything that the Caedis did. Think about it. There were no bodies around us, no signs of struggle. It was done by someone that Francis thought was on our side, and it wasn't me. Please, you have to trust me on this."
The woman turned to the ambassador, who seemed angry. She shrugged and opened the door of the helicopter, despite being mid-air. She grabbed him by the back of his neck and held him over the edge. He immediately confessed and she turned to Poppy, shouting over the wind. "Not a word of this to anyone! If it's questioned, tell them the mission failed and the ambassador was killed by Caedis. Kapiche?"
