The sound grew closer until a figure came into view. Martin recognized who it was immediately. A tiny glimmer of hope pierced into Martin's anguish.

"Aviva! Over here" Martin screamed, waving his arms frantically.

Aviva approached on a hoverbike, pulling up next to them, jumping out immediately. A first aid kit in her hands.

"You gotta help him," Martin pleaded.

The pit of Aviva's stomach dropped at the sight of Chris. She knew he had been hurt, but this, this was serious. Chris pale and lifeless on the ground, Martin weeping over him. She had come prepared to repair physical wounds, not emotional ones. The atmosphere overwhelmed her own emotions, she found herself tempted to join Martin in his outburst.

"What happened?" Aviva asked, she knew there wasn't time for questions, but an answer would mean hope for Chris.

"S-snakebite," Martin managed through the tears, holding Chris's limp arm up to expose the proof.

Aviva knelt down next to Chris and examined the bite. In a flash, the first aid kit was open, antivenom being loaded into a syringe. Picking up Chris's arm, she analyzed the skin for that little blue line to insert the needle. Aviva was a much better scientist than a nurse, and she wasn't too confident in her medical skills; but when death is the only other option, it doesn't matter.

Holding Chris's arm still was heart-breakingly easy. In one swift movement, Aviva pierced the vein and slowly pumped the healing concoction into Chris's bloodstream. Taking out the needle, she sat back. Both Martin and Aviva were silent, just watching Chris, as if they expected him to suddenly sit up, perfectly fine.

Chris felt strange. Floaty and weightless, as if he'd just drift up into the sky. This feeling overtook him, until the ground beneath him fell away, replaced by air. The sky, the world around him, was painted in a soft, shimmering bright glow. He was a feather, dancing in the wind, floating up, up, up, until he stopped. Looking back down, he saw himself. Martin and Aviva kneeling next to him. Why was Martin crying? What was Aviva pumping into his arm? Staring at his own lifeless body, Chris got the sense that something was wrong. Something bad happened. But the weightlessness, the dreamy glow surrounding him seemed to interfere, clouding his thought. The glistening light beckoned him, inviting him to just float away. But something held onto him, a rope of doubt pulling him back to earth.

Aviva found a tear of her own rolling down her face. The surrealness of the situation had caught up with her. This wasn't supposed to happen. Not to Chris, not to Martin, not to anyone in the crew. How would they move past this? Things would never be the same. The way Chris looked, his chance of survival was only getting slimmer, if it wasn't too late already.

Martin couldn't accept the events that unfolded as reality. This couldn't be real. 'There is no way Chris is dead' Martin repeated to himself. He felt like screaming. Like throwing up. Like crying himself a lake and swimming in it. He glanced down to Chris, who lay unmoving, cold. A faded, pained expression still etched into his face. Even while resting, he couldn't rest. Martin shakily brought two fingers to Chris's neck, preparing for devastation.

Chris watched the glowing light moving further away the closer he got to earth. He floated all the way down until he met the ground once more. A sort of 'click' feeling came over him. The whimsical radiance losing its shine. Darkness returned to replace the light.

Wait a minute. 'Am I going crazy or does he still have a pulse?' Martin thought, mind racing. He quickly went for Chris's wrist, checking for the telltale sign of life. The pulse remained.

"Aviva, I feel a pulse" Martin stated, trying to battle his relieved excitement. Getting his hopes up would only mean a more painful letdown.

Aviva wiped her eyes with her sweatshirt sleeve, eagerly reaching out and checking Chris's pulse. Sure enough, a heartbeat sent out a message that Chris was still alive. She must have checked a dozen times, and she could confirm; the pulse remained.

The sound of Chris taking in a raspy breath became music to their ears.

"That's it Chris! Breathe" Martin encouraged, although he was positive Chris couldn't hear him.

Martin held onto Chris's hand, his tears of sorrow being washed away by tears of joy. He couldn't help but smile. Worries still shouted in the back of his mind, but right now, Chris was alive. He was alive!

The sound of Martin's excited voice broke through to Chris's hearing. He had no idea what was going on, or what happened. His whole world was only explained through fuzzy blurbs of consciousness, eventually he just stopped asking questions. He couldn't even open his weary eyes if he wanted to.

"We need to get him back to the Tortuga," Aviva stated. While she was overjoyed to see Chris was breathing, his state was still far from alive.

"Martin, do you have the miniaturizer?" Aviva asked.

"Yeah, why?" Martin replied, pulling the miniturizer out of his bag.

Aviva adjusted the setting on the miniaturizer and pointed the beam at Chris, shrinking him until he was no taller than a pen.

"Hold out your hands" Aviva instructed.

Martin, confused, did what Aviva asked, holding both of his hands out.

Aviva tamely lifted mini Chris off the ground, placing him in Martin's hands.

"This will make the ride a lot easier, for both us and Chris," Aviva explained, packing up the first aid kit.

'Why didn't I think of that?' Martin thought, recalling how difficult dragging Chris through the woods was. He held out his shirt, lowering Chris into his makeshift hammock.

The hoverbike was already started, Aviva waiting impatiently. Martin hopped on the back, making sure Chris was safe and well protected. It actually looked kinda comfy in his shirt hammock, but it would be a while before Chris was comfortable again.

The hoverbike sped off, zipping through the trees and vines. Martin tried his best to keep a steady balance against the twists and turns. The ride was excruciatingly long, yet seemed over in a flash.

Martin had never been happier to see the Tortuga. While mother nature was where he thrived, the Tortuga was home. A place of security and relaxing familiarity. He looked back down to his little brother, and the hope that kept Martin going was running out. Sure Chris was breathing, his heart was beating. But was he really alive? Martin knew that venom contained neurotoxins, which affected brain activity. Would Chris even be Chris anymore?