The Third Member

The noise at the bulkheads was escalating, indicating that the number of beasts behind them was growing, and soon the strength of those bulkheads would not be enough to withstand so many consecutive impacts.

Far from the entrance bulkhead panel, Kowalsk had lost count of how many buttons and levers he had pressed and pulled without seeing any results.

However, Piotr heard a creak that was something out of the usual noises and immediately signaled to Kowalsk to remain still and silent.

"Whatever you are looking for, I think it's best not to press any more buttons," shouted a feminine voice.

Piotr was the first to assume a defensive stance, and when the woman approached him, he did not hesitate to attack her, narrowly avoiding hurting her only because Kowalsk diverted his punch at the last moment.

"You're going crazy, man! Can't you see she's a woman?" shouted Kowalsk, revolted by his companion's behavior.

"And what does that have to do with it, old soldier? An enemy is always an enemy, whether they're a man or a woman."

"Maybe he doesn't even know what a woman is," thought Kowalsk, trying to calm himself down.

"Stay calm, Piotr, let's not act this way. Do you think just because we're trapped here, everyone is our enemy?"

"I think you better let me go."

Piotr threatened, shaking his arm in an attempt to break free from Kowalsk.

"Hey, man! We're friends now, and is that how you treat your friends?" Kowalsk asked, still holding Piotr's arm.

"I never said I was your friend, Kowalsk. And definitely not this woman either."

"Ah! So, I get how things work around here now. When you're in a good mood, you call me the good old soldier. But if you get a little upset, like you are now with that angry face, then I'm just the usual Kowalsk, your personal enemy. That's okay, I've never had many friends anyway. But now I'll give you a warning, when it comes to me, sometimes I stay quiet, but if I see a big guy like you trying to hit a girl like that, then buddy, I turn into a beast."

"But you don't even know this woman, Kowalsk," Piotr replied, trying to justify himself.

"Now listen here, buddy, either you stay cool or we're going to have problems."

Kowalsk threatened, facing Piotr, still holding his hand and waiting for a negative reaction.

Piotr also stared at Kowalsk seemingly angrily.

"Are you going to defend the enemy, Kowalsk?"

"So I'll ask you a different question, Piotr, are you going to attack a friend?"

"Let go of my arm; it's hurting me."

Piotr said, quickly backing away from Kowalsk.

Only when the woman emerged from the shadows and approached Kowalsk did he notice that she was naked.

"Wait a minute, miss!" He shouted at the same time that he took off an old, worn-out jacket and quickly covered her.

"Where did you come from?"

"I don't know. But I think I was stuck somewhere hidden nearby."

"How do you not know?"

Kowalsk asked, more than curious.

"She's part of the enemy army, Kowalsk1."

Piotr affirmed, already moving towards the woman.

"Maybe yes, maybe no, Piotr. But in any case, we need information. I need to know where I am and what this facility is, and most importantly, where the way out of this place is."

"If that's all the information you need, I can give it to you. So, get out of here and take this woman with you and disappear forever."

For the first time, Kowalsk approached Piotr closely enough to look into his eyes and give him a stern response.

But what he saw next left him speechless.

"Hey, sir, do you know how to get out of this place?"

He asked the young woman innocently.

"I don't talk to the enemy," was Piotr's response while Kowalsk tried to recover from the visual shock he had just suffered.

"Piotr, listen to me, something important. Your face has recovered, and your eyes are normal. Even the blanket that covered your mouth no longer looks like an aberration and seems more like a device for correcting teeth, only kind of futuristic."

"And what does that have to do with it, Kowalsk?"

"I thought you were that deformed or that I would always be like that. But now I realize that you are normal. Look at your hand, man! It's normal again."

Upon hearing this, even Piotr felt amazed.

"Look how wonderful it is, and this time it was so quick."

"So Piotr, but the issue is not just that you are normal."

"And what's wrong with that, old soldier?"

Kowalsk didn't know what to say because he found Piotr's reaction to be incredible trivializing that situation. And as soon as the they