Disclaimer: Toei's, not mine
Notes: Takes place post series, spoilers apply. Sequel fic to 'The Changed Tomorrow', spoilers apply there as well. And, um... I have no idea where I'm going with this. But this idea has been with me for a couple of months now, and I needed to get it written before I went (more) crazy.
--
Finishing paperwork wasn't exactly the high point of Time Bureau Lieutenant Domon's day, but he still felt a sense of accomplishment as he placed the last data pad on the stack. Now maybe he could get some real work done--
"Lieutenant." Ensign Yu'ral saluted briefly before approaching his desk and placing a terrifyingly tall stack of data pads next to the ones he'd just cleared. "I'm glad I finally found you. All of these need a commanding officer's signature by the end of the day." Yu'ral gave him a smile and another salute, and then he was gone.
As Domon stared helplessly at the latest addition to the bureaucracy, he wished for the umpteenth time that day that Sion hadn't decided to move up that stupid conference of his to today. This wasn't exactly what he thought he'd be doing when he decided to re-enlist... but it was better than what had been doing before, which had amounted to a lot of pretending to be something he wasn't anymore.
Deciding going over a few more pads wouldn't kill him after all; Domon picked up the top pad. There were some things he still didn't like about the Bureau, yes, but he had his reasons to be here. And not just the two big ones (which he couldn't think about right now, otherwise he wouldn't get any work done). For the first time since 2001, his life was his own again. He was making his own decisions. And he was making things change. They were very slow changes, but changes nonetheless.
The blinking light on his Chrono Changer pulled Domon out of his thoughts (it'd been re-issued when he accepted the position of Security Chief, but he had yet to henshin). Yuuri and Ayase's were still in storage, so the only one it could be was...
"Domon, you better be there!"
"Kara?!" Her voice (or the blind fear in her tone) hadn't been what he was expecting. "How did you--"
There was static and she was stammering, but he could make out enough. "T-the conference--we were leaving-- the Commander's been shot--"
Somehow, Domon fought back the panic long enough to bolt out of his office, out of the Bureau, and grab the nearest free hover car. "Where are you?"
"We're at the hospital downtown-- Domon, the doctors won't let me see him--"
"Don't do anything until I get there." He forced himself to sound calm as the vehicle turned a corner. He had to... because once Sion pulled through this (and he would), he'd never forgive him if he discovered his Security Chief had gone to pieces during their first real crisis since Ryuuta.
--
Domon had to flash his badge to half a dozen hospital guards, but he finally found the floor where they were keeping Sion. His eyes skimmed over the swamp of Time Bureau enlistees and hospital staff until he spotted a head of messy blonde hair. He nearly tripped on the overly waxed tiles in his haste to get to her.
He grabbed her arm to get her attention away from a nearby doctor. "Kara."
If Domon hadn't been such a wreck himself at that moment, he most likely would have been shocked by her appearance: Kara's eyes were red, tears staining her face, blood staining her hands and jacket sleeves. "Tell him." Kara kept her bloodshot eyes fixed on the doctor, her voice dangerously raw. "Tell him what you told me."
The doctor looked at her, then Domon guiltily. "You have to understand... he lost so much blood, and since he's the only one left of his species, we don't have any to give him safely--"
"So you're going to let him die?!" Domon grabbed the doctor by his coat. Kara didn't do anything to stop him. "Find a way. Find a way to save him or I'll--"
"That's what I was about to get to!" With a speed Domon wouldn't have expected from someone who spent all day walking around hallways, he shrugged out of his coat, putting some distance between himself and the two officers. "There is something we can try. There's a new drug made just for situations like this. When it's injected into the blood stream, it can make it easier for someone from another species to accept it."
Domon couldn't believe the nerve of this punk. "Then why didn't you already do that?!" He fought back the urge to grab him again.
As for the doctor, he was much too calm for Domon's liking. "I said it could make it easier for a transfusion when it's injected into the blood stream. The chemical has to already be in the body when we take the blood. We can't just inject it into what we have here. I would need a volunteer-- and this is still a very dangerous procedure, for the patient and the donor."
Domon rolled up his sleeve. "I'm right here. Come on, let's go."
To the doctor's credit, he had enough sense to say nothing as he led Domon into the room. Kara, however, grabbed his arm.
He did his best to smile. "Don't worry. We'll be fine."
--
Kara wrung her hands nervously as the doors swished shut. First the Commander, now Domon-- everything was being taken away from her today, and she wasn't sure how much more she could stand to lose.
She felt a gentle hand on her shoulder. Kara smiled uneasily. "Oh. Hi, Tobias." As shaky as she was, she was happy to see her best friend. There were a few other enlistees with him.
Tobias didn't return her smile. "Listen, Lieutenant... I know this isn't what you want to hear right now, but with Commander Sion and Lieutenant Domon out of commission, you are the commanding officer. And a lot of us are wondering what you want us to do next."
Kara stared at her feet, running her hands through her hair. "Um, I'm not really sure..."
So this is how you're going to thank Commander Sion for everything he's done? He stayed on even after what Ryuuta tried to do to him, he's cleaned up the Bureau, he's made you proud of your job again. And the one time he needs you, you're trying to think of an excuse to get out of here so you can find a corner to crumple up in and cry.
Kara pulled her hair into a makeshift ponytail. "Zenthor, I want you and two others to guard the door to the Commander's room. Akira, you call the Bureau and get us guards for the entire hospital. Sally, I want you to call the local authorities and see if their investigation has found anything yet. Tobias, you handle the reporters." She headed for the exit.
Tobias blocked her way. He didn't look angry, just confused. "What are you going to do, Lieutenant?"
She sidestepped him. "I'm going to find a nice, quiet lounge and then I'm going to figure out who shot the Commander." And with that, she was gone.
Tobias knew better than to remind her that there was a very real chance that soon she would be looking for the Commander's murderer.
--
"Okay, it takes ten minutes for the drug to work its way into your system. So Johnson will keep Commander Sion stable while I keep an eye on you. Do you have any questions?"
Domon stretched out on the cot. He glanced over at Sion in the other bed-- pale, unconscious, hooked up to some sort of machine-- but he would pull through it. Domon would be damned if he didn't. "Only why it's taking you so freaking long to get started."
The doctor said nothing as he took his tool, injecting something into Domon's arm. "I'm going to go ahead and tell you that you will experience side affects from this," he warned as he hovered over him. "Drowsiness mostly, but you might have some hallucinations as well. Just remember it's only in your head, and try not to panic."
The grease paint and bright red smile did little to hide the grimness in the doctor's features. "Okay, Johnson, how's he doing? And nurse, I need a new wig. This one itches," he explained with a honk of his nose.
Domon's last thought before losing consciousness was a mental note to thank the bearded lady who came with the rainbow-striped wig so quickly. Now maybe that damned doctor would do his job...
--
Kara pressed her palms against her eyes. She had gone over every detail three times at least, but she still didn't have a suspect. She'd watched the video of the attempted assassination so often she could see it when she closed her eyes (of course, she could do that even before she'd seen the video, but that was... from her personal perspective).
She decided to leave her computer long enough to peek out the window. The sun was beginning to rise. When we first came here, it was the middle of the afternoon. Thank goodness for the coffee machine in the lounge-- that reminded her, the pot was running low, she'd have to venture out of the lounge soon to find some more... and maybe she could find out about the Commander and Domon while she was at it...
No. Kara rested her forehead against the smudged glass. No, you're focusing on the case, remember? If anything had happened they would have told you by now, and you know that if you ever see Commander Sion in that condition again, you won't be able to think straight.
"Would you mind some company?" The lounge doors hissed shut behind the Commander's doctor as he approached her cautiously.
Kara spun around. "Are they--"
His smile was weary, but real. "Yes, they're both fine."
"Thank you thank you thank you!" Kara smiled sheepishly when she realized that she'd acted on impulse and grabbed the doctor in a bear hug. "Sorry," she explained as she pulled away quickly. "It's just the Commander and Domon are the younger brother and the older brother I never had respectively, and--"
"Don't worry about it." The doctor watched as Kara plopped down on the couch. "I'm afraid Lieutenant Domon will have to stay for a couple of days. We want to make sure there are no lasting side affects."
Kara reached for her computer, pressing a few buttons. "What about Commander Sion?"
The doctor sat down next to her, rubbing the back of his thick neck. "Not only is he awake and alert, his wound is almost fully healed. If it weren't for the fact that we have a rule to keep any patients that come in critical in the hospital at least one day for observational purposes, he could go home this afternoon." He gave her a look that bordered somewhere between amused and perplexed. "He was the laser shot victim, and he asked me if I felt all right. He said I looked stressed."
Kara did her best not to laugh. "The Commander's always been like that. You'll get used to it."
"I hope you're right." He placed a sack on the table. "I figured you probably haven't had time to grab something to eat, so I brought you some breakfast. I know hospital food isn't the best in the world..."
"...But on an empty stomach, anything tastes good," Kara finished for him. She smiled at him from behind her computer. "Thanks."
"Don't mention it. My job is to make sure everyone in this building is taken care of." He stood up. "Which reminds me, I should probably check on my patient before he decides to check on me."
Kara had to laugh this time, because not only was it funny, she also had no doubt in her mind that the Commander would find a way to do that... but it died off as the doctor left and she returned her attention back to her computer.
She decided the banana looked safest to eat, and began peeling. Like all Time Bureau officers, she'd cracked her fair share of cases, but it was becoming obvious that she couldn't do this alone. And with no Commander to offer suggestions or Domon to bounce ideas off of, she was at a loss.
"You look you could use some help."
Kara's eyes went wide. "It's really you!"
--
The doctor was gone, and the nurse was on rounds, which meant this would very likely be the only time today Sion could do this. He eased out of the hospital bed and made his way to the other. He grabbed a chair, and then he took Domon's hand in his. "Domon-san?"
To Sion's relief, his eyes fluttered open. "Wha... aren't you s'posed to be in bed?"
"I'm fine. Apparently, Hummardians heal fast." He tightened his grip a little. "How are you feeling?"
"Been better." He gave him a wan smile. "I'm just glad you're okay."
Sion frowned slightly. This wasn't the best time to say this... but at least Domon was too groggy right now to yell at him. "Don't misunderstand me Domon-san, I'm glad I'm still alive and I'll always be thankful for what you did for me, but when I first saw you like this... I've never felt so guilty in my life. And please, don't tell me that it's not my fault. I know better."
Domon nodded dazedly.
"If this hadn't worked... if you had died because of me... I don't know what I'd do." He was speaking so softly he wasn't sure if Domon could hear him (and maybe it was better if he couldn't). "Domon-san, you were the first person who saw me, not an alien lab experiment. I can't tell you how much that meant to me then... and now."
He had to look away. "Because I think... I think part of me is always going to be that alien lab experiment. I've tried keeping my promise to Tatsuya-san, but after today I realized just how it easy it would be for me to be alone again."
Sion felt a hand against his face, and found himself looking at Domon again.
Domon's face was pale, but his eyes were clear. "But the other parts of you know better, right?"
He leaned into the touch slightly. "Yes. I know. Now please try to get some sleep, Domon-san."
Domon let his hand fall, finally giving into exhaustion. "All right... good night, Mister Bear."
... There were a lot of things Sion had yet to fully understand when it came to Humans, and he decided that this was one of them. So he didn't think about it, settling for holding Domon's hand and trying not to think about what he would soon have to do for now.
For now, all he wanted was some peace.