24B96X by @Bluegerbil

Again, sorry for the wait. Hope you enjoy it! :)

Beep...

Beep beep beep beep beep beep beep...

"Hello? Hello? She's unresponsive. Her heart rate's increasing. Elle, call Nurse 243D."
"Who cares about Nurse 243D?! By the time I've got to her Thea will be dead! Do something now!"
"I can't. You of all people should know that. We're only rank one. We CAN'T do anything."
"Well, maybe now's the time to change that."
"But..."
"Shut up and get the resuscitation kit from department four."
"But, only rank three nurses can do that... Elle, please, just call for help?"
"Seriously. Just get it. I can't just sit here and let some posh idiot let our future die."
"Elle! You know we can't talk about them like that! What if someone's listening to us? We could be executed tomorrow!"
"Yeah, well we could die today. Look, if you don't want to, don't. I'll do it. Just look after while I'm gone, okay, Celeste?"
"I suppose. Be careful."
"I will. If anything happens, just shout."
"Okay..."

~~Elle~~

I slammed the door behind me to let Celeste know how I felt about the whole incident.
A nurse from my old training school; she appeared about five minutes after Thea collapsed, bursting through the door, red in the face and gasping for breath. Apparently she was kept 'in storage' for nineteen years, like me, and had been wandering through the labs for hours. When the siren started, she ran towards the noise, and found us. Just in time.
Not that she's much of a help anyway.
I rack my brains for the mental map of the labs, desperately trying to find department four. My artificial leather shoes make loud clicking noises on the tiles as I run, echoing throughout the complex. Luckily, I haven't had to go past the cells. I don't think I could do that without bursting into tears. Or having a mental breakdown.
My train of thought is broken as I round the next corner, walking into department four.
"Yes, it's that rank one nurse. Elle Darcey.
Yes, her.
Ha, ha, ha, very funny. I know.
When are we taking the other one? Oh, next week. Celeste, isn't it?
Yeah. Of course it's 'Humane.'
Ha! I know, right?!
Okay then. If you could bring the equipment in 72 hours. Thankyou."
Lydia Waters. That lying little...
I resist the urge to run up and kill her with my bare hands, instead grabbing the nearest bag on the shelf, praying to god that it's what I need and sprint down the corridors. My legs take control, letting my mind wander and my heart sing. Adrenaline rushes through me, and for the first time in a long time, I feel free.

~~Celeste~~

The heart monitor fills the awkward silence between me and the girl on the floor. Elle called her 'our future'. She doesn't look like much, really. Apart from her red hair. I reach out and touch it, to check if it's real. It is.
Her face is so pale, I can see the veins pulsating underneath her skin, like a never-ending blue river. Maybe that's why she's different. Blue blood. In the old stories from Before, the royals have blue blood. Maybe they need her to rule our lands. To save the starving and rule the rich.
Maybe.

~~Elle~~

"I've got it!"
I burst through the door, shoving Celeste out of the way and crouching down beside Thea. Celeste mutters something under her breath, rubbing her elbow and wincing. I glare at her and she soon kneels beside me, looking flustered. The small blue bag, which I took from Department four, is labelled 'Resuscitation kit: For use by Rank Three nurses or above only.'
I ignore the label and quickly unzip the bag. Inside is a syringe, a bundle of wires, a metal panel, a bottle and a small battery unit.
"Celeste. You remember watching those Rank Fours doing the demonstration right?"
I bark at her.
Celeste nods feebly and bites her nails, liquid brown eyes wide in fear, or admiration.
"Okay, then. Can you set up the battery unit and the wires please?"
She nods again and I pick up the syringe and the bottle. Carefully, I draw some of the liquid out. It sparkles in the light, tiny plum-coloured flecks dancing in the solution. It looks like something the Rank Sixes would be drinking. They could afford stuff like this.
I lift Thea's arm, finding an suitable artery, and inject the liquid, watching in fascination as the coloured flecks travel up her arm and out of sight.
"Celeste?"
"Yes?"
"Are you done with the battery?"
"Yeah."
"Can you pass some cotton wool then, please?"
She does, and I tape the wool to Thea's arm. Celeste smiles and picks up the tiny panel attached to the battery.
"One...
Two...
Three!"
A electric buzzing fills the air as Celeste presses the panel to Thea's chest. The purple solution reacts with the current, shooting tiny, almost invisible, sparks from her heart. Celeste does it twice more, each time counting to three, and each time watching in awe as the sparks flutter away. I smile at her, trying to be as reassuring as possible.
"Once more."
Celeste nods gently, furrows her brow in concentration and presses the panel to Thea again. This time, no sparks fly. Nothing happens at all, the heart monitor slowing to a complete standstill. Celeste stares in desperation at her, waiting for something, anything. It has to happen. I've seen the Rank Fours do it before. It has always worked. Always.
A few tense moments flutter between the three of us, until a soft sound breaks the silence.