"Get in the tub, Alex. Now."
Sylvia's voice left absolutely no room for negotiation. She pointed toward the large, white-tiled basin in the corner of the combat laboratory's adjacent medical room. The brass spigots were already running, filling the basin with clear, lukewarm water.
Alex leaned heavily against the doorframe, his breath still coming in shallow, heated gasps. His chest felt tight, the pressure from the eighty-one percent saturation pressing against his ribs like an iron band. "I can still stand," he argued, his voice raspy. "The gauge hasn't peaked. I just need a minute to let things settle."
